


An Impossible Curse

by Hemibim01



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Harry Potter, Curses, Drarry, Father-Son Relationship, Gay, Gay Draco Malfoy, Gay Harry Potter, Good Draco Malfoy, Good Malfoy Family, Good Slytherins, Gryffindor/Slytherin Inter-House Relationships, Harry and Draco, Healer Draco Malfoy, Loss, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Malfoy Family, Malfoy Manor, Minor Character Death, Not Epilogue Compliant, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Post War, Sad Draco Malfoy, Virgin Harry, curse, cursed Draco Malfoy, drarry fic - Freeform, harry makes slytherin friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-05-19 05:26:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 48,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5955343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hemibim01/pseuds/Hemibim01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco and Harry meet again after the war and, after a brief tongue lashing, are able to get past their differences. What will happen to their new relationship when they find out their families have been intertwined for years and a curse is still on the Malfoy name? Secrets come out, relationships are tested and an age old question is answered. Can love really conquer all? Rated Mature just in case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: Stumbling Out

Chapter One: Stumbling Out

Harry looked at the two pieces of mail he had gotten this morning. One was an invitation, sent to him by McGonagall to attend the annual gathering at Hogwarts for those lost in the war. It was the fifth year since the Battle of Hogwarts had taken place and the fourth year since McGonagall had started to host a memorial at the school. The first year after the war was too filled with mourning and people still trying to put their lives back together for remembering but after that people wanted to get together and remember their friends and loved ones who had given their lives.

The second piece of mail was a copy of the Prophet with a bold headline on the front page "FORMER DEATH EATER COMES OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET?" It was written by Rita Skeeter and it was an article all about Draco Malfoy and the fact that he seemed to be interested in men. Malfoy had only been back in London for six months and already the Prophet had ran three articles about him. The first had been about how, during his time away from home, Lucius Malfoy was killed in Azkaban by another prisoner and Narcissa Malfoy had succumb to a post war depression and had taken her own life leaving Draco as the only Malfoy left. The second was all about how he had worked closely with Snape to keep the students of Hogwarts as safe as possible during Voldemort's reign of terror and now there was a picture of him and Blaise Zabini on the front page and from the angle the photo was taken at it looked as if the two men were kissing. Harry snorted knowing full well that Blaise was as straight as an arrow but he was not so sure about Malfoy.

Harry sighed and set the paper aside as his thoughts strayed unconsciously to the blond Slytherin. Draco Malfoy had been the reason Harry had discovered his own homosexuality. After the war Harry sequestered himself from his friends and family, shutting himself up in Grimmald place until Hermione had blasted his door down and insisted he talk to someone about how he was feeling. After trying to get out of it many times Harry finally went to a therapist who helped him deal with the after effects of the trauma he went through as well as helping him sort out some of his deeper feelings. When Harry began to recount his sixth year and obsessive stalking of Draco to his therapist she asked if there could be any deeper feelings he had ignored for the other boy. After days of Harry insisting she was mental he finally thought back to the way Draco Malfoy could get a reaction out of him like no one else, the fire that always seemed to pass between the two of them. Harry was reminded that the line between love and hate was very thin, Ron and Hermione had been flirting with it for years, perhaps he and Malfoy had been as well. He was able to admit that he had always found the other young man handsome and he was so floored by his revelation that he didn't go back to his therapist again. Instead Harry decided that he would try to rekindle his relationship with Ginny.

For the last three year he and Ginny had dated but the longer they stayed together the more Harry realized he was just using her to hide. He told her he wanted to wait before they had sex but he could tell Ginny was not only suspicious but impatient as well. Harry was too afraid to tell anyone how he was feeling, he tried to talk to Hermione about it but her relationship with Ron had gone south and Harry was trying not to get in the middle of their war. Then one day it happened, Ginny found out Harry's secret. She had been helping him do some cleaning and organizing in Grimmald place when she stumbled upon some very suggestive magazines and pictures of men in his bedside table.

"Well at least I know that it's not me you find unattractive, just women in general," Ginny had tried to make him feel at ease when she could tell that he was still unsure of himself and how people were going to react to him liking men.

"I'm so sorry Ginny," Harry had groaned running hands through his hair. "I've been trying to deny this part of myself for a long time and I'm finally able to be okay with it but I'm still worried about what other people could think."

Ginny understood and she and Harry had agreed to cover for each other. Ginny wanted to date Blaise Zabini but knew that her family wouldn't take so kindly to their only daughter dating someone they still thought of as bad for her so they would pretend they were still together until one of them was comfortable enough to move to the next step. That had been nearly a year ago and Ginny had been telling Harry for the past six months that she and Blaise wanted to make their relationship public. That was how Harry knew that Blaise was straight, because he and Ginny were happily together and serious enough that Ginny was ready to tell the rest of the Weasley clan.

Harry sighed again and pushed the paper away from him. Everything else in his life was wonderful; he loved being an Auror with Ron, Teddy was thriving and even though Ron and Hermione had broken up the three had managed to stay friends. If he could only find the courage to tell people what he really wanted out of his life he could be happy. He found it ridiculous that he, who had died so Voldemort could be brought down, he who had faced so much before he was even legally of age, was afraid of public opinions. That was one of the worst parts of celebrity, everyone and their mother felt like they had the right to interfere in his life and tell him what he should or shouldn't do.

Harry sighed and sat back, hearing the front door open.

"Harry?" he heard Ron call.

"Kitchen!" he yelled back at his best friend, flipping to the Quidditch section of the paper.

The redhead entered and sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea and taking a biscuit from the plate on the table. "Morning mate, I tried to Floo you earlier but you didn't answer."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, taking a sip of his own tea. "I had a late night."

"I know," Ron chuckled. "I heard Ginny get home around one. Just because you're my best friend doesn't mean I'm not still watching you."

Harry nearly choked on his tea knowing that he was certainly not the reason Ginny hadn't gotten home until the wee hours of the morning, but also knowing he couldn't say that.

"I promise there is nothing untoward going on with your sister and I," Harry said very seriously.

"Did you get your invitation to the memorial this morning?" Ron wondered, changing the subject.

Harry nodded. "Can't we just skip it this year?"

"Harry, as the savior of the Wizarding world I really don't think you can," Ron responded, his mouth full. "But I do have something I want to ask you."

"Ask away."

"What do you think of me asking Pansy to go with me to the memorial?"

Harry sat back and regarded his best friend for a moment or two. Pansy Parkinson had been his and Ron's secretary at the Ministry for the last three years. At first she had been assigned the job as part of her public service requirement that kept her out of Azkaban with her family. Then when her time was up she interviewed and got the job for real. Pansy had seemed to grow into her features and Harry knew that Ron found her very pretty but would have never betrayed Hermione. Now that the pair was broken up Ron and Pansy had been flirting for months and Harry had been waiting for something like this to happen.

"If you want to ask her Ron you should," Harry insisted.

"I just haven't dated since Hermione and I split," Ron sighed.

"You have to start again sometime," Harry shrugged.

"And you're okay with it?" Ron asked a little apprehensive.

Harry gave him an exhausted glance. "Ron I have moved past what happened. We were young, we all said and did stupid things. I understand that Pansy was just scared and to save herself and anyone else she cared about she would have turned me over. I doubt she was the only one in that room who was thinking it, she just happened to be the only one who said it. I like Pansy, she has grown on me a lot in the past three years so don't worry about me."

Ron nodded and smiled slightly. Harry sighed again, he had been hiding so much from Ron for so long and he felt guilty about it. For a moment he thought that Ron's trepidation about his opinion would make him feel a little better but alas it did not.

"So, what are your plans for the day mate?" Ron asked, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

"I think I might drop in and see Teddy and Andromeda," Harry made up something very quickly.

"Well, Mum wanted me to ask you over to the house for dinner tonight," Ron finished his tea and got to his feet.

Harry bit his lip not sure if he wanted to see Ginny, not sure if he could keep up his charade for much longer.

"I'll let you know," Harry promised.

Ron nodded, taking another biscuit for the road. "Cheers mate, maybe I'll see you later."

He raised his wand and apparated away, as soon as he was gone Harry put his head into his hands and let out a groan. After a moment or two he got to his feet and went to the Floo, shouting out Andromeda's address and walking through. When he stumbled into the living room he looked around but no one appeared to be there.

"Hello?" he called out, knowing that he hadn't given Andromeda a warning that he was coming, but still surprised that she wasn't there.

A moment or two later the older woman came around the corner, she smiled when she saw Harry. "I didn't expect to see you today. What a nice surprise, Teddy will be so happy."

"Sorry I didn't warn you," Harry brushed the soot off of his clothes. "I just made a last minute decision. Where is Teddy?"

"In the backyard," she answered, beckoning Harry to follow her. "You aren't the first unexpected visitor we've had today."

"Who else is here?" Harry wondered as he reached the backyard.

He saw a jet of dark blue followed by a jet of pale blond rush past him on brooms. Andromeda had finally given into Teddy's desire for a broom and Harry happily bought him one that was good for a five year old with all kinds of protection and safety spells but still would be fast enough for a growing young wizard. The two figures finally stopped moving and Harry was shocked to see none other than Draco Malfoy hovering in the air next to his godson.

"Uncle Harry!" the blue haired boy called out happily.

Harry waved at Teddy before turning back to the boys grandmother. "I didn't know you were on speaking terms with your nephew."

"I got an owl from him before he came back to England," Andromeda explained. "He told me there were some things of Narcissa's that he wanted me to have after….her death."

Harry frowned. He knew that the two Black sisters had not spoken since long before Tonks was born but that didn't mean the loss of her sibling hadn't hurt the older sister. Andromeda was the last Black and Harry knew that she would often get lonely.

"It was some things from when we were children, including a bunch of letters that Cissa wrote to me over the years but never sent, there was even one from a few days before she passed on. She apologized many times, she often spoke of missing me in the letters and she asked me to not transfer our issues with each other to Draco."

She paused for a moment or two. "He's the last family Teddy and I have, Harry. So I owled him back and we exchanged quite a few letters before I invited him to the house so he could bring me the things from my sister and meet Teddy."

Harry looked and saw the blond toss a practice snitch out and the young boy speed off after it. "Teddy seems to like him and if he likes Draco Malfoy how bad can he be."

He looked up to see Teddy hold up the snitch in triumph as Malfoy clapped from his broom. The two landed and Teddy went racing into his godfather's arms.

"Did you see me Uncle Harry?" he asked excitedly. "I caught the snitch!"

"You sure did," he laughed and knelt down next to him. "You are getting to be quite the flyer."

Draco walked smoothly up and stood in front of Harry. For a moment Harry let himself take in the taller man's appearance. He hadn't changed much from school, his hair was a few shades darker than Harry remembered but he was still all lithe muscles and harsh angles that somehow suited him perfectly.

Draco nodded, a small smirk playing at his lips. "Potter."

"Malfoy," he nodded back, not sure why that smirk made his stomach do a flip. "I was happy to hear you and Andromeda patched things up."

He shrugged. "Family is and always has been important to me. Sadly I can't stay much longer, my shift at St. Mungo's begins in about an hour."

"I heard you were working there," Harry continued, not wanting him to leave so quickly. "Enjoying being a healer?"

"I like being around the patients," he answered honestly. "An added bonus is the freelance potion work they have hired me to do for the hospital as well. I've been a big help to the Minister."

"Kingsley?" Harry wondered.

"He received a rather bad back injury during the war and it still gives him problems," the other man explained. "I make a salve for him that helps ease the pain. He is so grateful that he invited me to be his guest at the Hogwarts memorial this year."

Harry swallowed and tried to focus, knowing Malfoy would be there made Harry rethink that whole night. "Are you going to go?"

"If the Minister wants me to go I certainly will," Draco tried to keep his composure, not wanting anyone to know that he was nervous about going and facing the scrutiny of that crowd. "Well I suppose I had better get to work."

He turned to the blue haired young boy who had been watching the whole exchange. "I'll see you soon Teddy."

"Thanks for the game Draco," he smiled up at him. "Maybe next time if you and I team up we'll beat Uncle Harry."

Draco laughed. "If you keep practicing you won't need my help to beat him."

"Thank you Aunt Andromeda," he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be over next week for tea again."

As Draco disappeared Harry mused aloud. "He seems different."

That Saturday night Harry was dressed in a Muggle suit and tie waiting for Ginny to show up. He was looking at himself in the mirror, making sure his hair was still behaving itself when he heard a knock at the door. He opened it and saw Ginny standing in front of him looking a little miffed.

"Something wrong Gin?" he asked.

"I just hoped that I would be introducing my family to Blaise tonight," Ginny huffed as she walked in the door. "I don't mean to push you, isn't there a way we can break up even if you're not ready to….come out?"

Harry looked at the young woman he had known for so long, who he loved as if she was family and he understood. It wasn't fair to make Ginny live like this just because he was scared, it wasn't fair to her or any of the other Weasley's who still thought they had a relationship.

He took one of her hands. "If that is what you want Gin then that is what we'll do. I know how happy you've been with Blaise and you deserve it after everything I've put you through. So you tell your family whatever you need to tell them and I'll worry about my explanations when the time comes."

She threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you so much Harry!" she sighed happily. "I just figured with Ron bringing Pansy tonight might be the best chance I would get."

"I understand," he told her honestly. "Now let's go and see if we both can come out of this night unscathed."

The two raised their wands and apparated into Hogsmeade where the Thestral drawn carriages were waiting to take the guests up to the castle. Harry helped Ginny into the nearest one and the two were off, neither of them said much as they rode. Harry was still fidgeting with his clothing and hair and Ginny was biting her lip trying to figure out exactly what she was going to say to her family.

When they got out at the entrance to the castle they saw Professor McGonagall there greeting everyone and to Harry's horror he saw members of the press mulling around taking pictures and trying to interview people.

"Harry, Ginny," he heard his old head of house call to them as they got out of the carriage.

"Hello Professor," Harry greeted her warmly, taking her hand.

"It's good to see you," Ginny greeted her as well.

"I didn't know the press was going to be here," Harry looked around, seeing the photographers snap shots of him and Ginny.

"The Minister wanted the fifth anniversary of the war covered for the Prophet," she told him. "The Ministry has donated a memorial for the school that is being reveled tonight."

She seemed to notice Harry's hesitation. "Try to ignore them and enjoy tonight. I'll see you inside."

Harry offered his arm to Ginny.

"Are you still alright with this Harry?" Ginny wondered as they made their way inside. "Neither of us were expecting the Prophet to be here. I can wait to do this at a more private time."

"No," he replied firmly. "I said I was going to do this for you and I am. You have been understanding, and accepting of me so this is the least I can do."

The pair walked in silence until the finally came to the Great Hall which was brimming with people. Every few feet Harry would be stopped by someone else who wanted to shake his hand or ask him how he was. After about twenty minutes he and Ginny finally made it over to the rest of the Weasley family and Hermione. Harry also saw Ron standing with Pansy who was talking with both Zabini and Malfoy. The dark haired man took a deep breath and willed himself to stay calm.

"Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley hugged him. "We were getting worried when you and Ginny didn't show up."

"We just had something we needed to talk about," Harry assured her.

The redheads all looked at them suspiciously and would have asked follow up questions but just then Professor McGonagall stepped up to the front of the room where a curtain was floating in midair and cast a sonorous charm so she could be heard.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she smiled at the guests. "Now that everyone has arrived it is my pleasure to introduce Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt who will reveal the memorial to the fallen."

The crowd clapped politely as Kingsley stood at the front of the room a glass of champagne in his hand.

"I'm very proud to be here tonight," he began in his usual deep powerful tone. "I am proud of what we have accomplished in five years. I know it hasn't been easy for many people, I know that hurts run deep but the people here tonight prove that we cannot let the past dictate our future. People are capable of growth and change and I look out on some of the faces that people might not understand seeing here and I know that all they want is to be able to move on and find their way in the world. I welcome anyone who is able to recognize their mistakes and want to learn from them and I encourage everyone else to do the same."

He raised his wand and with a flick the curtain hanging above his head disappeared. Floating in midair were shimmering golden letters spelling out the names of all those who had been lost in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry felt a twinge in his chest as his eyes scanned the names that hovered in front of the crowd. Sometimes it feels like yesterday that he was laughing with Fred about a prank, watching Tonks transform for the amusement of others, listening to Remus as he calmly lectured in class or even being stalked and photographed by Colin Creevey. He was glad that Kingsley had put Severus's name up as well but after the fight Harry had started to get the potion master's portrait hung in the Headmaster's office he wasn't too shocked.

Harry saw Kingsley raise his glass. "For those that gave their lives and the future we have been able to achieve because of them."

Everyone in the room raised their glasses and cried "Here, here" Harry took a very generous swig of his drink as he saw Ginny looking at him seriously. He knew that if he didn't get it over with soon he would lose his nerve. He nodded to her, wanting to make this announcement as quiet and personal as he possibly could, under the circumstances.

He cleared his throat and turned to the Weasley family. "I have something that I need to tell you all."

Blaise had edged closer to the group of redheads as if waiting for the moment he could properly introduce himself as Ginny's new beau. Harry looked at all of them and struggled not to run a hand through his hair as his usual way of calming himself. He opened and closed his mouth as if to speak several times before Ginny stepped up next to him.

"I know that everyone has been wondering when Harry and I would take our relationship to a more serious level," she began calmly. "I know that you all have seen Harry and I as the perfect couple for longer than I care to remember but sadly we have to tell you that we're not."

Mrs. Weasley waved her off. "No couple is perfect, what matters is that you keep working-"

"No Mrs. Weasley," Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry but Ginny and I are not going to work. I love Ginny but not the way she deserves."

The whole family began to whisper to each other

"Harry and I haven't been together for nearly a year," Ginny finally confessed.

"A year?" Hermione looked between the two of them as if she was amazed that the two of them hadn't broken down and told her anything in a year. "How could you keep this from us for a year?"

"I started dating someone else and I wasn't ready to tell you," Ginny huffed. "I knew you guys would want to interject and wouldn't listen to me or what I wanted. Harry-"

She hesitated, not wanting to tell what she had no right to. "Harry was nice enough to help me until I was ready to tell you."

"Well who are you dating Gin?" Arthur asked his daughter.

Ginny grabbed Blaise's hand and pulled him to her side. "I've been dating Blaise Zabini for about nine months and we're really happy."

"Zabini?" Ron sneered, hardly able to believe it.

Pansy shot him a look and Ginny called him a hypocrite.

"But Ginny I don't understand," Mrs. Weasley looked hurt. "Why don't you and Harry just-"

It was then that Ginny lost all grip she had on her calm.

"Mum I am not sixteen years old anymore," she yelled, earning the attention of the whole Great Hall. "I am not besotted with Harry Potter anymore! I have grown up and I would appreciate it if my family could just get over it and then we can all just crack on!"

She turned on her heal and left, Blaise following after her. Pansy was trying to hide her giggles behind her hand and Malfoy was looking intently at Harry. Just as the dark haired boy was about to open his mouth to offer a more eloquent explanation the reporters and photographers who were there descended on him.

"Harry! Why did you and Ms. Weasley break up?"

"Did she cheat on you with Zabini?"

"Have you already found someone new Mr. Potter?"

Harry was trying to keep himself calm but the press always seemed to know just how to rile him up. The non-stop questions continued, they pressed him more and more not letting Harry even breathe let alone talk. They kept firing inquires at him until Harry couldn't take it any longer. He lost the very tight hold he had on his emotions and burst out.

"I'm Gay! That is why we broke up! I like blokes! Ginny Weasley is the perfect woman but I don't like women at all!"

Everything was so silent after Harry's admission that you would have been able to hear a house elf sneeze all the way in the kitchens. Harry took a few deep breaths before he realized what he had actually said and not just to the entire press corps of the Wizarding world but to everyone else at the celebration as well. Harry knew that more questions were going to be coming at him any moment so he turned and he fled. As he ran he tried to think of some of the places that he wouldn't be followed before finally deciding that going outside might be best. He found his way to the Quidditch pitch and climbed under the stands, sitting back and taking in a few more lungful's of air.

"I can't believe I just did that," he groaned lowering his face into his hands.

"Should have known you would be the kind of man to stumble out of the closet Potter," he heard a voice address him.

Harry got to his feet and looked at who it was.

"Malfoy," he sighed. "Still following me I see."

"As I recall you seemed to do an awful lot of following me as well," Draco reminded him.

Harry blushed, remembering exactly what the blond was talking about. "Someone had to figure out what kind of evil you're up to."

Draco chuckled. "No evil these days Potter, just trying to make my way like Kingsley said."

"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Harry wondered. "I'm not really up for company right now."

"I can imagine," he smirked as Harry climbed back out to face the former Slytherin. "Expected the Wizarding world to be alright with you taking it up the arse?"

"Fuck off Malfoy," Harry retorted as his cheeks colored. "Besides I heard you like it like that too."

Draco shrugged. "I'm a filthy Death Eater, no one much cares what I do."

"But don't you have some kind of ridiculous Pureblood standards to live up to, like carrying on the Malfoy name and all that rot?"

"Watch it Potter," he warned taking a step toward the other man. "My family name is none of your concern."

"Fine," Harry huffed. "Now can you please leave me alone?"

"Look, all I came out to say is try not to let it bother you," he told Harry, his tone still flat. "The most freeing feeling was the day I realized that I don't have to live up to anyone's expectations of me anymore. I can be my own person and I don't have to give a damn what other people think. You despise The-Boy-Who-Lived treatment, I know you do, so why do you still let their opinions hold so much sway over you?"

"Because not everyone is the press," he countered. "Most of the people back there are my friends and some of them might as well be my family. Just because you don't have a family and most of your friends are in Azkaban doesn't mean that I want mine to think any differently of me."

Harry knew that he was being unfair, but Malfoy always knew just how to push his buttons and show up when Harry was feeling most vulnerable. He tried not to feel guilty for the look of shock, hurt and anger on the blond man's face.

"If I could give you some advice, just go back into the castle and leave me alone."

Draco sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, I don't need advice from some Muggle hugger."

Harry looked at him incredulously, stepping toward him. "If you had it your way there wouldn't be any Muggles left to hug!"

"Oh cry me a river," Draco spat.

"If I did you'd complain that it's not pure enough," Harry shot right back at him.

"You bleeding heart Gryffindor!"

"Slytherin puppet!"

"Do you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you?"

"I'm surprised someone as smart as you would have to ask!"

The two leapt and met in the middle their lips crashing onto each other's in a fury that had been building up since their Hogwarts days. Draco bit down on Harry's lip and he gasped allowing the other boy to invade his mouth with his slick and talented tongue. Harry gripped Draco's fine suit jacket in his hands, trying to get the other man even closer before letting his hands trail down to cup the blonds firm arse eliciting a moan from deep in his throat. After minutes of lips and teeth and tongues Draco broke away from Harry.

"I hate you," he insisted in almost a growl.

"I hate you more," Harry responded his voice an octave lower than it usually was.

Both young men took in a gasp of air before their mouths met in another heated battle for dominance. After a few more minutes of snogging while their hands lazily explored each other it was Harry who broke away this time.

"I'd better go," he told Draco sheepishly. "I don't think people could handle Harry Potter being gay and making out with Malfoy on the same night."

"You're probably right," the Slytherin gasped, righting his clothing and trying not to dwell on how flushed Harry's cheeks were and how swollen his lips had become from their activities.

Harry walked away but before he got too far he turned back. "Hey Draco."

The man in question turned when he heard his name fall from Harry Potter's lips, not prepared for how good it sounded.

"Yes Harry?"

The green eyed wizard smiled. "Let's do that again sometime?"

Draco smirked but felt the heat rise in his face. "In your dreams Potter."

Harry smirked right back at him. "Oh yes, and what lovely dreams they will be."

Draco watched him leave, still in awe at how his tanned skin seemed to have an otherworldly glow in the moonlight. He had delighted in the hard body his hands had felt under the clothing, and the way those green eyes had bored into him just the way they always had in school. Draco ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. He was so fucked.


	2. Chapter 2: Falling

Monday morning Draco was sitting in his flat having breakfast before his morning shift at the hospital. When Draco had returned to England he swore he wasn't going to move back into Malfoy Manor, he could hardly step inside it without having horrible flashbacks. He still checked up on it and he knew that maybe one day future Malfoy's would live there but for now he was content in his London flat. Just as he was pouring himself coffee Blaise walked swiftly out of the Floo; it was almost a daily routine between the two old friends, Blaise came by on his way to Gringotts to have breakfast and talk. The only time the two broke their habit was when Draco was on overnights. Without having to say anything Draco poured his friend a cup of coffee and added two spoonful's of sugar and a little cream while Blaise helped himself to toast and jam. Draco smiled as they sat in a companionable silence for a few moments, they had known each other for far too long, and they both liked that they were able to just sit without words.

"So," Blaise began as he chewed his toast. "Did I miss anything interesting when I went after Ginny?"

Draco simply smirked over the rim of his coffee mug, but Blaise saw it and knew that look very well.

"Is it good?"

Draco nodded.

"Very good?"

The blond bobbed his head again.

"Sex?" Blaise jumped to the first thing he thought would make Draco smirk like that.

Draco shook his head no this time.

"Oh please tell me you've lost the ability to speak," Blaise joked putting his coffee down.

"I kissed him," Draco couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face, knowing that Blaise would know exactly who Draco was talking about.

"Really?" his best friend looked impressed. "Maybe I shouldn't have chased after Ginny."

"Well, you weren't really prepared for her announcement to go the way it did," Draco reminded him. "Not even you can control that Weasley temper."

Blaise just smiled and shook his head knowingly. Draco had been surprised when his best friend had declared that he was going to date Harry Potter's ex-girlfriend, but he did remember Blaise's attraction to her during their Hogwarts days. Of course an attraction to Ginny Weasley wasn't hard to find among the halls of Hogwarts and often in the Slytherin common room, the joke was that the only person who wasn't attracted to the female Weasley was Harry Potter and now Draco understood why. Still, when Blaise had reintroduced him to Ginny, Draco found that he liked her very much and thought she and his best friend would complement each other well. Ginny was the more talkative and extroverted one of the pair, letting Blaise sit back and observe, only speaking when he felt like he could add something to the conversation. Blaise was levelheaded and kept his calm, as was the usual Slytherin way, while Ginny was more impulsive and fiery. All in all, Draco had been convinced that Ginny Weasley would be a good match for Blaise and he enjoyed spending time with them.

"What is it with Gryffindors and Slytherins?" Blaise wondered aloud. "First Ginny and I, then Pansy shows up to the memorial with Ron Weasley, and now you and Potter."

"Let's not get carried away Blaise," Draco spoke, setting his coffee down. "There is no 'me and Potter' yet. It was just one kiss."

"But you want something to happen with him?"

Draco sighed. "You know I do Blaise. You've known what I want for a long time."

His friend looked thoughtfully at him for a moment. "What about-"

"Don't ask me questions," the blond requested. "It isn't like I want to go declare my love for him, I just want to see what happens."

Blaise continued to regard his best friend for a few more moments.

"I'll keep my mouth shut," he promised holding up his hands. "I'll also ask Ginny to stay out of it as well. If the two of you want this I think you'll have to find a way to make it work without cajoling and interference from outside sources."

Draco raised his mug to his friend. "You're a good man Blaise Zabini."

"I know," he smirked. "That's always been my problem."

Draco chuckled and shook his head as a tap came at the window. It was Draco's owl bringing him his mail. Blaise got to his feet to retrieve it; he opened the paper and handed Draco the rest of his post. The dark skinned man was not at all shocked to see a story about Harry Potter's clumsy admission splashed across the front page.

"The Boy-Who-Lived-To-Like-Boys," he read the headline aloud.

"Oh that's original," the blond scoffed.

"Harry Potter, age twenty two, has once again thrust himself into the center of the Wizarding world when he announced Saturday night, at the Memorial for the Fallen, that he is a homosexual," Blaise continued to read the article for his friend. "Sources say that he and Ginevra Weasley had been having problems in their relationship and publicly decided to proclaim that their relationship was finished. Ms. Weasley then swiftly exited the celebration leaving a devastated Harry Potter in her wake."

Draco snorted in a manner very unbecoming of a Malfoy, Blaise chuckled and went on reading.

"This reporter's personal opinion is that Ms. Weasley is the reason Harry Potter has turned his back on women. A dark day indeed for Witches everywhere."

Blaise trailed off not feeling a need to continue.

"Skeeter?" Draco looked at him when he stopped.

Blaise nodded. "That woman is so vile."

"I wonder if she realizes just how much pain she's asking for by messing with Ginny," Draco spoke bemusedly.

"I hope she registered her Animagus status or Granger will be coming for her as well," Blaise pointed out as he set the paper aside. "So are you going to owl Potter?"

"I think I should probably wait," Draco told him. "I don't want to draw more unneeded attention to him while he's dealing with the press."

"You just want him to chase you," Blaise remembered his friend telling him that once long ago.

"That may be," the blond spoke firmly. "But coming out isn't easy Blaise, especially the way he did it. No one should have to face that kind of judgement and scrutiny but he is going to face it at every turn because of who he is. He probably won't even want to be involved with me because I'll only add to how much he has to deal with."

Blaise got to his feet knowing that he had to be to work soon. He laid a gentle hand on his friends shoulder.

"If Potter doesn't want to date you because of that then he doesn't deserve you," Blaise insisted. "Just be careful. I don't want you or anyone else getting hurt."

Draco nodded knowing exactly what his friend meant. "I'll see you later Blaise."

"Thanks for breakfast," he called before apparating away.

The young Malfoy heaved a heavy sigh as he picked up the paper and started to read the article Blaise had given up on; he had a lot to think about.

Harry sighed and read the same line of the report in front of him for the fifth time in a row. It had been a very long day and he only had an hour left until he could finally go home. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so anxious. Ever since his admission that he was gay, the public had been even more vocal about his life than before and after the article that had run in the Prophet that morning, Harry was seriously on edge.

He could take the attention, really he could, in fact being the Savior of the Wizarding world he was used to it. But Harry hated that Rita Skeeter felt the need to drag Ginny and, inadvertently, Blaise through the mud. Harry had spent time with the couple over the last few months and he was getting to like Blaise a lot, he approved of their relationship and knew that the Slytherin truly cared for Ginny and that was all Harry really wanted for her. He also knew that Skeeter would stop at nothing to get her story but she was going too far and Harry had already contacted Hermione to see if the reporter could still be turned in for being an unregistered Animagus.

Harry sighed and looked over at the empty desk next to him. When Harry had arrived at the office that morning Pansy had handed him a hastily written note that Ron had left explaining that George needed help at the store. Harry however, had suspected that Ron might just be avoiding him because he had used Ginny to cover up his secret and Ron was angry. He heard a gentle knock at the door as he tried to calm the thoughts in his head.

"Come in," he called.

Pansy opened the door and walked into the room regarding Harry for a moment or two.

"Stop frowning before you break your face," she instructed crossing her arms and staring intently at him.

Harry gave her a big fake smile. "Better?"

"Harry, Ginny will be fine," Pansy tried to convince him yet again. "You of all people know that she is more than capable of handling herself. Blaise probably found the article laughable and badly written so it's not like you have to worry about him being angry with you either."

He ran a hand through his hair roughly. "I'm just waiting for the mail that is inevitably going to follow; everything from howlers to sexually explicit fan mail and propositions via owl post. I don't know why I even bother trying to date with the media circus that surrounds me."

"Maybe because you've done enough for the Wizarding world and you deserve to be happy," Pansy responded drolly.

"But no one ever seems to look at it that way," Harry sighed. "It's been five years and everyone still looks at me as if I'm their savior."

Pansy sat down in the chair in front of Harry's desk. "Sadly you're always going to be their savior but the more you live your life, the more people will get used to it."

"And if they don't?" Harry asked, voicing something he had been fearing for a while.

"Then I have two words for you to keep in mind," Pansy leaned closer to him. "Repeat after me….Fuck them."

"Fuck them?" Harry repeated, his voice full of doubt. "I don't think that would go over well."

"Harry, does someone have to give you permission to be selfish?" Pansy wondered. "I know you were a Gryffindor but seriously it can't be this hard for you to put yourself first. Date who you want to date, be who you want to be, stop caring about the opinions of people you don't know."

Harry sighed, knowing that she was right but having a hard time figuring out just how to do what she suggested.

"Thanks Pans," he finally said, giving her a small but very real smile. "I'll try. Hopefully things will be better after this whole 'Harry Potter Comes Out' thing blows over."

Pansy got to her feet and walked toward the door, turning back to Harry one last time.

"Well I'm going to give you some advice my mother gave me, and I gave Draco when he came out and worried what people would say," she told him as she opened the door and made her exit. "Selfish people live longer."

Harry sighed and finally got to his feet, not able to stay at work a moment longer. He apparated directly into the living room of Grimmald place and flopped down on the sofa. He was very grateful that he had chosen to redecorate the house in a manner that suited him more, he knew that Sirius wouldn't begrudge him making it feel more like his home. He had even managed to find a potion that took care of the sticking charm that kept Mrs. Black's portrait on the wall. Now he didn't have to worry about her screeching insults at the drop of a hat.

Right as Harry felt the tension drain from his body he heard a knock at the door. He groaned as he got to his feet and opened it, surprised to find Ron on his front step.

"Is there a reason you didn't apparate in?" Harry asked.

Ron looked uncomfortable and didn't answer. Harry knew something had to be up if Ron didn't want to apparate directly into his house, that was how Ron and Hermione always came and went.

"Can I come in?" Ron asked, running a hand through his hair.

Harry stepped aside and Ron brushed past him, making sure not to actually touch Harry by accident. The dark haired wizard knew that this wasn't going to be pleasant but figured that Ron had to get all of his anger out eventually. The two sat down and for a few moments neither of them said anything until Harry couldn't take it any longer.

"Look Ron," he sighed lowering his head for a moment before looking at his best mate. "I'm sorry for asking Ginny to go along with my lie. I'm absolutely ashamed to say that I would have asked her to keep lying for me if she and Blaise weren't getting so serious about each other. I made a mistake. I was selfish and horrible and you have every right to be angry at me."

"Ginny's a big girl," Ron finally spoke. "She went along with it for her own reasons and I can understand that."

"So what's wrong?" Harry pressed him. "You don't come into work, leave a terse note explaining why, don't directly apparate in to see me and now you're being cold."

"How long have you known Harry?" Ron asked tightly.

Harry looked at him, confusion clouding his green eyes. "How long have I known what?"

"Don't play stupid with me," Ron ground out. "How long have you known you liked men?"

"That's what this is about?" Harry's eyes went wide. "You, one of my best mates, the first friend I ever had, are going to sit here and take issue with something that has nothing to do with you?"

"Of course it has something to do with me," Ron got angrily to his feet. "We shared a dorm and used the same showers and changed in front of each other all during school. You've spent whole summers in my room."

"Wow," Harry shook his head. "So that's what you think of me? Now that you know I'm gay all of a sudden it's a big problem? Did I ever once make you uncomfortable over the years?"

"That's not the point," the redhead insisted, face getting red. "You could have been looking."

Harry scoffed at the other man. "Don't flatter yourself Ron, you're not my type."

"You dated my sister-"

"And she wasn't my type either," Harry reminded him, raising his voice slightly. "I hate to tell you this Ron, because I know it's going to make this situation worse, but I've always been gay. Maybe it isn't obvious, and maybe it didn't always show but this is part of who I am and I can't change it. Being gay isn't something I chose because Merlin only knows that anyone who would choose to have people misunderstand and ridicule them is mental. I denied this part of me for a very long time, pushing it off by saying that everyone has thoughts about how good looking a bloke is, or what it might feel like to kiss another boy. Then when I went into therapy after the war I was able to be honest with myself about who I am and what I wanted."

"But you're Harry Potter," Ron reminded him.

"And why the fuck does that mean that I have to do what people expect of me?" Harry demanded remembering Pansy's earlier words. "I have toed that line my entire life. 'Defeat Voldemort Harry', 'sacrifice your life Harry', 'help us, save us, do it all Harry' that is all I seemed to get from anyone over the years. I did exactly what was expected of me and now I'm going to do what I want."

"So you're going to go flit off into the sunset with some bloke and the two of you will live gayly ever after?" Ron's expression was dark.

"Well it's called a 'fairy' tale for a reason isn't it?" Harry replied sardonically. "I knew that this was going to make people look at me differently, the public, the media, sure, but not my friends. Not my family."

"You are not my family," Ron replied darkly, his cheeks an even deeper shade of red, that clashed horribly with his hair. "Family doesn't lie, family doesn't keep secrets and family sure as hell doesn't decide that one of them is more important than anyone else."

"Go ahead Ron, twist my words," Harry got to his feet and started to walk to the door to show Ron out. "You're good at making yourself the victim."

He wrenched the door open and made on over exaggerated bow indicating that Ron should leave the way he came in. Ron huffed and rushed out the door turning to look at his friend one last time.

"Fuck you," he cursed under his breath.

"I don't think you want to do that Ron," Harry glared at him. "You might actually like it."

Before he could reply Harry slammed the door shut and yelled loudly in frustration. He stomped up the stairs and into his room collapsing down onto his bed. He had always assumed that Ron would be the one to take his news about being gay the worst. Harry figured they would talk about it, Ron would be uncomfortable for a while but then the two of them would move past it. Now just the thought of seeing Ron at work the next day had Harry wishing he could call in sick. He had briefly talked to Hermione the Sunday after the memorial and she had been supportive. She worried that the press would harass him but it wasn't like that was something new for either of them.

"At the end of the day," Hermione had told him right before she left. "You're my best friend, I love you and nothing will ever change that."

If only Ron could be that accepting. Harry sighed as he got up to take his clothes off and change for bed. He realized that it wasn't even seven o'clock yet but after his altercation with his friend and partner Harry felt exhausted. He hadn't even eaten dinner but now he didn't really think he could stomach food. The dark haired man deposited his glasses on his bedside table and climbed into bed hoping that somehow tomorrow would be better.

Around noon the next day Harry had run out of hope for that day as well. Instead of dealing with Ron he had Flooed into his office early and picked up some reports he needed to work on and went home. Harry figured that Ron must have said something to Pansy because she did everything she could to keep him in the office, hoping that the two friends would be able to work it out if they had the chance. Harry had told her as nicely as possible that he just wasn't up to seeing anyone today but if she needed him for any reason he had the Floo in his study unwarded.

He had cringed when he had seen yet another article in the Prophet about his "choice" to be gay. Harry didn't even bother to read it, simply crumpled the whole thing up and tossed it in his fireplace. He had been working since early that morning and had made a surprising amount of progress, he supposed that being away from the distraction of working with your best friend could only help his productivity. He summoned Kreacher and had the elf bring him lunch to his study. As he ate he heard the Floo roar to life and sighed, knowing that the peace and quiet wouldn't last. He looked up expecting to see Pansy and instead saw the white blond hair of Draco Malfoy.

"Harry, I apologize for bothering you at home," he said, truly looking sorry. "But I went to the Ministry looking for you and when Pansy said you were working at your house today she told me how to Floo you. You need to come to St. Mungo's right now. It's Teddy."

That was all Harry needed to hear before getting to his feet and going through the fireplace himself. He stumbled out into the crisp halls of the hospital and would have fallen if strong arms hadn't been there to catch him. He looked up at Draco and murmured a thank you before setting himself to rights.

"Is Teddy okay?" he asked remembering why he was there in the first place.

"He'll be fine," Draco assured him as they started to walk toward the young boy's room. "Andromeda is with him now and I promise I've been taking good care of him."

They reached a private room that Harry was sure, between his money and his connection to the hospital, Draco had procured for the young boy. Andromeda looked up as The-Boy-Who-Lived walked into the room but Teddy looked away from his godfather.

"Teddy, would you like to tell Harry what happened?" Andromeda asked her grandson.

Teddy looked down at his hands and then back up not quite meeting Harry's eyes.

"Draco came over for lunch and he and Nana were inside getting everything ready. We were all going to have a picnic in the garden and Draco said he would fly with me again but I had to wait until after lunch. I didn't want to wait so I started to fly alone. I was trying to make my broom go too high and I fell off."

Harry stared unbelieving at his godchild. He certainly had Marauder blood running in him and Harry felt proud and worried at the same time. He sighed realizing this must have been how Sirius and Remus felt about all the trouble he had gotten up to in his day.

"Basically," Draco took over the story. "He forced the broom too high and the safety spells malfunctioned which is what threw him off. He fell and broke his arm in a few places but I was able to mend that pretty fast. He also hit his head so we have to make sure he didn't get a concussion. It is unlikely that he did but I want him to stay here for a night to monitor him for any signs of a head injury."

"Well, if he ever does that again I'm sure his grandmother will give him a head injury," Harry shook his head.

"We're lucky Draco was there," Andromeda told Harry. "He knew just what to do and kept Teddy calm until we got to the hospital."

"Well Teddy also knows the rules that you and I agreed to," Harry said still looking at the boy with blue hair in the hospital bed. "So whatever punishment you decide I'll support Andromeda."

"Punishment?" Teddy's face fell.

"You break rules and that is what happens, you have to face the consequences," Harry told him firmly.

Draco let out a gentle snort that only Harry heard. "Why don't we give Teddy a minute alone with my Aunt? You and I can talk out in the waiting room."

Harry followed the young Malfoy out into the hallway and then back to the waiting room.

"It's funny to hear Harry Potter talking about rules and consequences when he never seemed to have to worry about them in school," Draco spoke, an amused tone lacing his voice.

"I suppose I did get away with a lot during school," Harry admitted. "But I never asked for special treatment."

"I know," Draco told him. "I know you didn't ask for a lot of things that happened to you."

Harry dropped down into one of the overstuffed chairs and put his head in his hands, he felt Draco sit down next to him.

"Harry, he's fine, I promise," Draco spoke to him gently, changing the topic.

"How far do you think he fell?" he asked.

"The safety spells make it so the broom doesn't go any higher than thirty feet," the blond replied. "So he was at least thirty five feet off the ground.

"Oh Merlin, thirty five feet? He could have broken his neck," Harry gasped. "I'm supposed to protect him and keep him safe Draco. What kind of godparent am I?"

"You're not going to be able to protect him from everything," Draco told him, laying a hand on the other man's back. "He's five, he is going to do stupid things and have accidents but he'll bounce back. It's more important that you're here now while he's getting patched up."

"I just feel guilty that Andromeda is doing this all alone," Harry sighed.

"She's a Black," Draco reminded the younger man. "She can handle anything that kid dishes out and she isn't alone….she has you."

Harry smiled up at him. "She has you now too. Thank you so much for being there, for taking care of things."

For a reason Draco didn't know he had started to rub calming circles on Harry's back with his hand in an attempt to comfort the dark haired wizard. For a few moments the two sat in silence with Draco still running his hand tenderly over Harry's back and Harry trying to calm himself, letting the Slytherin soothe him.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess," Harry finally spoke. "I had a little incident last night."

"Did it have something to do with the article in the Prophet?" Draco questioned, thinking that was the most logical answer.

"No, it had to do with my best friend being a homophobic git," Harry answered honestly.

"I can't say I'm too shocked," Draco responded. "Sometimes it isn't easy for people to accept. Especially when they don't see someone as "stereotypically homosexual". If a man doesn't have a lisp, a love of show tunes and impeccable fashion sense there is no way he can like other men."

Harry looked at the other man for a moment or two.

"I myself only have two of those three things," he finished smirking at Harry.

The green eyed man cracked a smile.

"Look, I got you to smile," Draco looked pleased with himself, still a little shocked at how at ease he felt around the other man. It was as if their years of rivalry and schoolboy taunts were fading away each time they spoke to each other.

Harry finally sat up and looked the blond in the eye, "I was wondering if maybe you would like to come over for dinner?"

Draco was a little taken aback. "What for?"

Harry chuckled. "Well to thank you for helping Teddy first of all, and second of all because I'm attracted to you. We spent a long time hating each other and I'm sure we have all kinds of assumptions about one another that are wrong. I'd like to get to know you...the real you."

The Malfoy heir didn't think he'd ever had such an appealing offer in his life.

"Well you have good taste Potter," he joked, smiling. "And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to you as well. I think dinner would be a great idea."

"Is tonight too soon?" Harry wondered, finding himself calmed and comforted by the presence that had once set him on edge.

"My shift is over at eight," Draco smiled even wider.

"That sounds perfect," Harry returned his smile. "I'll come by the hospital and say goodnight to Teddy and I can sidelong you to my house. It still has a lot of wards and protections on it so I don't get unexpected guests."

"I can understand why," Draco nodded.

"I'd better say bye to Teddy," Harry got to his feet. "I still have some more work to get finished."

Draco up and the two walked back to the room.

"So what did your Nana say?" Harry asked, crossing his arms and watching his godson.

"No broom for three months," Teddy hung his head. "And if I ever get on it while no one is watching again I'll get it taken away for good."

Harry nodded. "That sounds fair after what you put us both through worrying about you."

"I'm sorry Uncle Harry," Teddy told him sadly. "I'm sorry Draco."

Draco ruffled the blue hair on top of the boys head. "I'm just glad you're alright. I have to go check on my other patients but I'll be back to see you a little later. I have someone bringing you and your Nana lunch so behave. If you need me Aunt Dromeda, you know how to get a hold of me."

"Thank you Draco," she got to her feet and kissed her nephew on the cheek.

"I'll see you later," Harry whispered to him as he left.

Draco started his rounds with a smile on his face and something to look forward to after work.

"Okay Teddy," Harry sat down next to him. "I have to go back home and get some work finished so stay here and be good. If your Nana tells me you aren't listening to her or Draco you will be in even more trouble."

"I'll be good Uncle Harry," he promised.

Harry leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the small boy's forehead before turning back to his grandmother.

"Andromeda if you need me contact me through the Floo in my study and I'll be right over."

"We'll be fine Harry," she assured him.

"I'll stop in later before you have to go to bed," Harry told Teddy. "Just be the little angel I know is in there somewhere."

Teddy laughed and Andromeda shook her head but smiled as well. Harry went back to the lobby and Flooed home. He had said he had work to finish but now his head was so full he didn't know if he could concentrate. He was worried about Teddy, even though he knew that the boy was fine. He was worried about what happened with Ron, even though there was nothing he could do to make his friend change his mind except give him space and hope. And now on top of all that he was worried about having Draco Malfoy in his house for a dinner date.

Harry sighed, he had a lot of work to do indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two, sorry if anyone doesn't like the way I portray Ron, I just think he would be the one to have the hardest time accepting that Harry is gay. Please keep up the follows and favorites and if you are feeling very generous please leave me a review. Love to all!


	3. Chapter 3: Who We Really Are

Harry had spent most of the day cleaning and getting food ready to prepare. He had spent so long being catered to at Hogwarts that he actually liked to do domestic things for himself. He still let Kreacher do enough but when company came over he would usually cook and clean the house for himself and give the aging elf the night off. Finally when Harry had finally deemed the house clean enough and the meal ready except for a few last minute spells he apparated back to St. Mungo's and headed back to the room he knew his godson was in.

He was about to walk through the door when he heard Teddy speaking quietly to someone.

"Will you tell me a story?" the young boy asked.

"What kind of story?" Harry heard Draco address his patient.

"A true story," Teddy suggested. "What were you like at Hogwarts? What was Uncle Harry like?"

The dark haired wizard heard the Malfoy heir chuckle.

"I wasn't very nice at Hogwarts," he admitted. "In fact once, when your godfather and I were in our fourth year at school I insulted him and ended up getting transfigured into a ferret."

Harry put his hand over his mouth to avoid laughing and being discovered. He heard Teddy laughing as well.

"That was you?" he asked. "Uncle Ron has told that story so many times."

"Of course he has," Draco chuckled again. "I can't say I didn't deserve a lot of what I got during school. I wasn't a very nice person so I didn't really expect anyone to be nice to me."

"Why weren't you nice?" the young boy asked him.

Harry inched a little closer to the door, curious to hear the explanation.

Draco sighed. "I could blame it all on my father but that wouldn't really be fair. I was raised a certain way, but in the end it was always my choice. You always have the choice to be kind Teddy, you always have a choice no matter what you do. The only thing you don't have a choice in is that you have to go to bed right now."

Harry heard his godchild start to protest but Draco was unwavering.

"Come on," he pulled back the covers on the bed. "Your Uncle Harry should be here to say goodnight soon and after how much trouble you are already in you would do well to already be in bed and on your way to sleeping."

The dark haired man chanced a glance around the corner and was amazed at what he saw. Teddy was settling into bed while Draco held up the blankets for him and as soon as the boy was comfortable the blond tucked him safely in before sitting back and looking at him. Draco's back was to the door so the other man continued to watch, thankfully Teddy was being blocked by Draco so he hadn't yet seen Harry.

"Now lay back and close your eyes," the older man told his patient. "You've had a very long day."

Teddy tried and failed to stifle a yawn. "What if I fall asleep before Uncle Harry gets here?"

The young Malfoy brushed a few strands of blue hair out of his cousin's eyes. "Don't worry, he'll understand if you do."

The room fell silent for a moment or two before Harry heard soft humming. He chanced walking quietly into the room and his heart nearly stopped at the sight before him. Draco was not only humming softly to Teddy, who was fighting to keep his eyes open, he was also gently stroking the boys blue hair in a calming manner. Harry would have never imagined that Draco Malfoy, of all people, could be so gentle.

"Hey," Harry addressed the other man softly. "I'm amazed. Teddy is an absolute terror at bedtime."

Draco couldn't help but blush a little. He got up off the bed so that Harry could say goodnight to Teddy.

Harry leaned over and pressed a kiss to his godson's forehead. Teddy's eyes cracked open as Harry backed away.

"Uncle Harry?" Teddy wondered.

"I just came to say goodnight," he whispered. "And to make sure you are still behaving."

"I am," he yawned again, his eyes falling shut once more. "I promised I would."

"I'll see you in the morning," Harry assured him. "Sleep tight Teddy."

Harry readjusted the blankets before walking out of the room with Draco.

"Sorry," Draco said quickly turning to Harry. "I sent my Aunt home to shower and relax a little."

"Don't apologize," the other man puts his hands up. "She probably needed a little time to herself."

"It's been a long day for all of you," Draco observed.

Harry sighed. "It feels like the last few days have been the longest I've dealt with since the war."

"Well hopefully tonight you can unwind a little," the blond suggested. "If you're still up for dinner that is."

"Of course," Harry smiled back at him. "Are you ready to go?"

"Let me just grab something really quick," the other man replied before turning and jogging off down the hall.

Harry hovered outside the door to Teddy's room, waiting for Draco to come back, trying to push down some of his apprehension.

"Harry," a voice behind him spoke.

The young man turned to see Andromeda.

"Is everything alright?" she wondered.

"Everything is fine," he promised her. "I just came by to say goodnight to Teddy."

"He's already asleep?" the older woman asked, clearly amazed. "How did you accomplish that?"

"Draco did," Harry responded, the image of him and Teddy coming back. "He achieved the impossible."

"I'm impressed," Andromeda smiled.

"Are you going to stay here all night?" Harry asked, a little concerned.

"I'll be fine," she assured him, catching sight of her nephew coming toward them. "You just go home and enjoy your evening."

The former Black gave both men a smile before she reentered her grandson's room. Harry turns back to look at his date for the evening, unable to keep the slight look of shock off his face. Draco had changed from his Healer's clothes into, of all things, Muggle clothing. He was wearing black denims and a blue button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow, in one of his hands he was carrying a bottle of wine.

"I figured that since you cooked dinner I could at least bring some wine," Draco shrugged.

Harry couldn't help the way his eyes raked over the blond's appearance. Sure it was true that Draco Malfoy had always been attractive but this man that Harry had stumbled upon was not the old Draco Malfoy and for the first time Harry realized that he was nervous. What did they really have to talk about? Would they be able to get over their past issues or was this all a stupid impulsive mistake?

"Ready?" Harry finally asked, holding his arm out for his companion.

Draco just nodded and took his arm, feeling that familiar tug from the side-long apparition but a feeling that didn't usually accompany it that the young man couldn't quite place. They arrived in the dining room of Grimmauld place which was set for dinner. Harry never really used the dining room unless he had company beyond just Ron or Hermione.

"This is the House of Black isn't it?" Draco wondered looking around.

"It is," Harry confirmed. "Sirius, my godfather, left it to me after he died. I've asked Andromeda many times if she wanted to move in here with Teddy since she is actually a Black but she said no."

Draco nodded, understanding exactly how his Aunt felt. "Too many memories I suppose. I've been here before, a long time ago."

"Really?" Harry was not shocked to hear that, considering Narcissa had been a Black.

"I don't remember why," Draco added. "I just remember coming here with my mother when I was younger. Is that funny House Elf still around?"

"Kreacher?" Harry was surprised to hear that Draco remembered the elf. "Yea, he is still taking care of the house but I gave him the night off."

Draco couldn't help the laugh that burst out of his mouth. "The night off? And tell me Harry, what exactly do you think House Elves do on their night off?"

The other wizard paused. "You know I've really never thought about it."

Draco chuckled and shook his head. "So what have you made for dinner tonight?"

"An appetizer of latkes with ricotta cheese, herb crusted chicken on a sweet potato puree and for dessert île flottante."

"I'm impressed," Draco smirked at him. "I didn't know you cooked."

Harry started to wave his wand and the food and other things starting to whiz out from the kitchen into the dining room. Draco sat and watched as his date served and put finishing touches on the plates before finally sitting down himself. The blond poured them each a glass of wine and they settled in to enjoy their meal and each other's company.

"I had to cook," Harry finally responded to the other man's earlier comment. "When I lived with my Aunt and Uncle they treated me like a slave. I cooked and cleaned for them, did all kinds of chores, pretty much whatever they told me to do. Meanwhile my cousin never had to do anything and was spoiled rotten."

"Sounds like me," Draco observed sadly.

"That was what I thought when I first met you in Madam Malkin's," Harry confessed.

"Harry," Draco began, taking a deep breath. "I need to apologize fo-"

"Don't," Harry cut him off gently.

The blond looked at the dark haired wizard confused.

Harry gave him a reassuring smile. "I know there are things that we both want to apologize for, things that we said or did to each other."

"You want to apologize to me?" Draco was taken aback a little.

"I wasn't totally innocent in all of our fights Draco," Harry reminded the other man. "I promise that we will both get the chance to ask for each other's forgiveness, but not tonight. Tonight I just want to have one night where we don't think about our complicated past with each other."

Draco just nodded. "I understand."

"I'm just worried that if we keep looking at everything that we have done wrong over the years, we will be able to talk ourselves out of having a chance at something now," he readjusted his glasses as he explained.

"I wouldn't want that," Draco confessed quietly.

"Neither would I," Harry told him.

A moment of silence and understanding passed between the men.

"So, how do you like being an Auror?" Draco finally asked.

"Most days it is really great," he responded, refusing to think about or talk about Ron while he was on a date. "Although I do worry that one of these days we'll have caught all the real dark wizard threats and will have nothing left to do. If that ever happens I will quit before they reduce us to just magical cops."

"Cops?" Draco was a little confused.

"Muggle law enforcement," Harry clarified.

"So making sure that no one breaks laws and getting cats out of trees?" Draco teased.

"Muggles who put out fires are the ones who get cats out of trees," Harry corrected him, unable to help the laugh that bubbled up as he did.

"My mistake," Draco smiled and continued to eat the delicious food Harry had prepared.

"So where were you for almost five years?" Harry finally asked.

"I wanted to try and get away from the scrutiny that would follow my family name in England," he answered, looking down for a moment or two. "I wanted to help fix things but I knew that getting away from the people who would judge me and making new connections would be the best thing for me in the long run. I went to France and studied to be a Healer and when I had graduated from the Healer program I went to Spain and worked with a potions master there who helped me marry healing and potions even more than they already are. We developed many new concoctions together to help with medical problems."

"Sounds like you are doing something you love," Harry couldn't help but smile at the other man.

Draco shrugged. "I've always been good at potions because it is solitary. I was mixing potions long before Hogwarts because it distracted me from feeling alone. I didn't really have friends except the ones my parents approved of and if they came over with their parents we were expected to sit and visit and be polite. I couldn't run off with friends and play Quidditch or anything fun like that."

Harry sat in silence for a moment or two thinking about how similar he and the man sitting beside him actually were.

"When did you change so much?" the dark haired wizard asked his date.

"Maybe I was always like this," Draco responded, gray eyes boring into green. "Maybe I just couldn't show it."

The other man looked at him doubtfully for a moment.

"I was an only child," Draco reminded him. "The only child of a powerful pureblood family, there were certain things that were expected of me. I was raised by Lucius to be haughty, superior, spoiled and condescending to name a few characteristics but my mother however taught me to be someone who was completely different. My mother taught me the importance of being content by myself, she taught me to be gentle to the people who needed it most, to care for those other than myself."

"So why didn't you ever act that way," Harry wondered.

Draco gave a sad laugh. "I would have been torn apart in Slytherin if anyone knew I was anything other than Lucius Malfoy's perfect child. I never even had a choice in my house, the Sorting Hat placed me before it even touched my head. I suppose I played the part a little too well because after a while I started to believe that was all I was, the Ice Prince of Slytherin. Then one day everything changed."

"What happened?"

Draco blushed slightly. "You did of course. You always managed to work me up more than anyone else. My icy veneer only ever cracked around you and when another Slytherin pointed that out I couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Tell me," Harry put his fork down to listen. "Please?"

"It was the year of the Triwizard Tournament," he began. "I knew how dangerous it was and I had been listening to my father speak of how Voldemort would soon come back to power. I knew that if he did there would be no escape for me. I would no longer be able to hide who I really was, I would be forced to be like Lucius at all times or reveal my weaker side and be killed. So that year I focused all my anger, stress and anxiety on you, thinking that somehow it would help. I made Potter Stinks badges, placed bets against you, and told that horrible Skeeter woman whatever she wanted to hear. Meanwhile, I got more and more nervous watching you battle dragons and rescue people from mermaids and I didn't know why. You were Dumbledore's golden boy, you got away with everything and you had never liked me, so why was I so concerned? Pansy was the one who first suggested that I was attracted to you and when she did I asked her to the Yule Ball to distract her from thinking about it any longer."

He paused and Harry noticed his cheeks darkened. "That night was the first time Pansy and I ever…tried anything. It didn't get very far, just some groping and things inexperienced children always do but I didn't enjoy it like I thought I would. The summer after fourth year I was left alone much of the time, Lucius was off doing errands for Voldemort and my mother stayed away from the Manor as much as possible so I had plenty of time to think. It was that summer that I figured out I was gay and that I was attracted to you. So naturally that year when I returned to Hogwarts I couldn't let anyone know. I joined Umbridge's band of loyal followers and played my part as best I could knowing it might be the only thing that saved me."

Draco sighed. He hadn't thought about any of this in so long it seemed like a world away, it seemed as if he was talking about a different person. Harry seemed to notice his distress and he leaned over and tried to take Draco's hand in his. The Malfoy heir recoiled and Harry looked hurt, until he realized that he had tried to take the man's left hand.

"We all did things during the war that we were not proud of," Harry reminded him. "You can't continue to blame yourself and carry all this guilt."

Harry finally reached out and gripped the other man's hand in his. He could see the Dark Mark standing out like a fading brand on pale skin but he didn't shy away. He turned his hand over so that Draco could see the scars on his hand that spelled out 'I must not tell lies'

"None of us survived unmarked," Harry smiled at him gently. "I promise that I will do my best to understand and I will try my hardest not to judge you for what is in the past."

Draco seemed to let out a sigh of relief at Harry's words, still afraid that all of this had been a horrible mistake. He gently ran his finger over the marks on Harry's hands and understanding seemed to pass between the two. Harry squeezed Draco's hand and as they continued to talk and eat their dinner their hands stayed joined. A few hours later Draco thanked Harry for the meal but sadly had to leave.

"I have an early shift tomorrow," he explained, apologetically. "I have to make sure Teddy can be released."

Harry nodded, understanding but still wanting more of the other man's company. He walked his date to the door and opened it for him. Draco started to exit but before he did he turned to Harry and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Dinner at my place next time?" he asked a slightly taken aback Harry.

"I'd like that," the bespectacled young man replied with a smile before kissing the blond again.

Draco smiled. "Thank you again, I enjoyed tonight."

"So did I."

"I'll talk to you soon," Draco promised before exiting Grimmauld place and apparating away.

Harry closed the door behind him and set to work cleaning up with a smile on his face. Meanwhile Draco appeared in front of a large villa with a crack. He entered without knocking going toward the main room of the house. An elf appeared to take his things as he walked.

"Where is she?" he asked the elf.

"The study Master," he squeaked before disappearing.

He made his way toward the room in question opening the door.

"I didn't know you were coming to see me tonight," a voice addressed Draco from deep inside. "I'm afraid I don't have any good news for you yet Draco."

"Have you found anything out yet Ren?" he wondered, walking toward the fireplace where she usually perched herself when she researched.

The young woman in question rounded the corner. Her chocolate brown hair was tied up in a messy bun and her usually bright blue eyes looked tired.

"All I know for sure Draco is what I already told you," she sighed. "The Malfoy family is cursed, and if the curse cannot be undone than trouble is coming in a very big way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Here is my next chapter, not too exciting but necessary for relationship building between our boys. I thought I would throw a touch of drama in for you. Don't ask me any questions about Ren, all will be revealed in due time, but to find out you need to like and favorite my story to get updates. Much love to my readers, followers and anyone who reviews! You all keep me going.


	4. Chapter 4: Take It Slow

A few days after his dinner with Draco, Harry was still in a good mood. The morning after their date Harry had found a box of his favorite Honeydukes treacle tart on his desk when he came into work. Not even the cold shoulder from Ron could dampen his spirits after that gift. The two men had owled back and forth a few times in the following and Draco had invited Harry over for dinner.

"So, are you seeing someone?" Ron asked as he watched his friend finish the last of the treacle tart four days after he received it.

"Do you really care Ron?" Harry asked him in return. "I know you're still freaked out about me being gay so I doubt you could handle any talk about my dating life."

"Hey at least I'm trying," he insisted.

"But you're not," Harry fired back, trying to stay calm. "Not really. If you were trying you would have apologized for your reaction earlier this week and would actively be making an effort to accept that me dating men doesn't change who I am."

Ron was just about to retort when Pansy walked into their office and handed Harry a folder.

"You just got a solo assignment," she told him, handing him a small box. "Your Portkey leaves in an hour."

Harry looked over the file, having never been more grateful to be interrupted.

"So they think they found Yaxley?" Harry wondered aloud.

"You shouldn't be confronting him alone," Ron insisted.

Harry finished looking over the information and closed the folder, tucking it under his arm.

"It is only a surveillance assignment," he told him. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go home and grab some things."

With that Harry threw some Floo powder into the fireplace and left the office right as Pansy started to berate Ron for his attitude about his best friend being gay. Harry chuckled a little to himself, between Hermione and Pansy, Ron certainly did have a thing for woman who were not afraid to put him in his place.

Harry quickly packed a bag that would last him the duration of his week long assignment, he grabbed an emergency healers kit that was stocked with everything he could need if he ran into trouble. Sure it was only a surveillance job but the best laid plans often went awry for him. Finally when he was all packed he went to his fireplace to Floo Draco. After a few moments the blond head appeared in the flames.

"Hey," the man in question smiled up at him. "Something wrong?"

"I'm afraid I have to cancel our dinner," Harry told him sadly. "I just got an assignment. My portkey leaves in about a half hour. I'm sorry to back out at the last second."

He shook his head. "Don't apologize, it isn't necessary. This is your job and I understand that things like this will come up occasionally."

"Still I feel awful, I was looking forward to it," Harry sighed.

"Well then how about when you get back you can come over," the wizard suggested. "We'll have a nice quiet day?"

Harry smiled. He was increasing drawn to this man and with every new side of him Harry just felt his affection grow more and more. The Malfoy charm was irresistible but of course he wasn't going to tell Draco that…at least not yet.

"I think that sounds lovely," the black haired man finally replied with a smile.

"Great," Draco smiled back. "I will see you when you get back."

Harry couldn't help himself so he leaned down and pressed a kiss against the other man's lips.

"Thank you for understanding," he said backing away slightly.

"Do I have to tell you to be careful?" Draco wondered, giving Harry a lopsided grin.

"When am I ever careful?" Harry laughed in return.

"That is my point Potter," the blond teased back. "I don't want the remnants of the man I'm dating sent back to me in a matchbox."

"So we're dating?" Harry stepped back and surveyed the other man with a smirk he borrowed from the Malfoy's own lips. "Am I the only one you're dating?"

He saw a blush creep up onto those pale cheeks.

"Yes, you are the only one that I'm dating. Happy now Potter?"

"Ecstatic," Harry answered. "I'd best be off."

Draco nodded. "I'll see you when you get back. Good luck."

And with that he was gone from Harry's fireplace. He sighed and picked up his things, making sure the file on Yaxley along with his orders was safely tucked into his rucksack. He opened the box and lifted out the portkey which was a small gold pocket watch. He lifted it out and watched as the hands ticked down to when it would transport him to his assignment. It wasn't much longer before he felt that all too familiar tug and was off in a whirl of color.

He landed at what the file told him was where he would be staying while he observed Yaxley. It was bewitched to look like a pile of cardboard boxes to anyone that wasn't touching the Portkey Harry was holding in his hand. To the young Auror it was a magical tent, much like the one he had stayed in with the Weasley's at the Quidditch World cup all those years ago. Harry walked inside and placed his things down, opening his bag he took out the file on his mission and the latest model of Omnioculars he had just bought for just this purpose. The new models were able to see through barriers like walls and had only been marketed to a select audience that were trusted not to abuse them. Harry found them quite useful for stakeouts, giving him a greater ability to remain watchful from afar.

He aimed them at the small cottage about a mile away from his tent. Sure enough Yaxley was inside but he was asleep so Harry didn't need to worry about him just yet. He sat back and opened the file looking over it once again. Yaxley had been busy before Voldemort had come fully back to power and when the dark lord had finally risen again he had been charged with 'weeding out the bad seeds'. Harry of course knew that the Death Eater had worked as the Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement after the Ministry fell but he had never before realized what that entailed. The list of charges against the man was extensive, one of the worst being the killing of a Pureblooded family who refused to side with Voldemort.

_Always considered to be in the Pureblooded elite, the Bellamy family refused to side with Voldemort during his first rise to power. The family had usually been sorted into Ravenclaw and prized intelligence and wit first and foremost above blood. However they had managed to remain friends with all the correct families and their line had stayed as pure as possible. When Voldemort came calling for a second time and they refused again he was not so forgiving. Worried about such a strong Pureblood family mixing with those he deemed unworthy, Voldemort ordered Yaxley to dispose of them. He proceeded to torture and kill Alexander Bellamy and his wife Miranda. Thankfully their daughter, Serena, had been visiting family members on her mother's side and avoided the same fate as her parents. Serena Bellamy is the only surviving member of the Bellamy line and has been instrumental in giving us information on many Death Eater families._

Harry shook his head, feeling sorry for the young woman who had been left without a family because of war. He understood and felt her pain. Yaxley was a dangerous man and Harry would do anything he could to make sure he answered for the crimes he had committed. It wouldn't bring anyone's loved ones back but it was better than nothing.

Draco's week so far had been uneventful and slow. He was anxious; between the curse on his family he had only found out about a month ago and Harry off on Auror duty it was hard for Draco to focus on anything. Thankfully the hustle and bustle of St. Mungo's was able to keep him occupied during the days, it was only at night that he seemed to be uneasy and unable to sit still. He had taken to pouring over his family's records, a suggestion from Ren, to see if anything odd popped up that would lead them to the nature of the curse.

The blond sighed and went back to reading the Prophet, trying to distract himself. It was his day off and he wanted to enjoy it but sometimes Draco found himself brooding over things that he couldn't change. He hadn't heard from Harry yet, but Draco knew that if he was on assignment the other man wasn't at liberty to send owls. He hadn't heard anything else from Ren either, and usually she was the kind of person who got results when she started to look for something. Draco had chuckled to himself when he realized that, if she had gone to Hogwarts, Ren probably would have been the person to give Granger a run for her money.

Just as he started to focus on one of the articles in the paper he heard his Floo roar to life. Much to his surprise Harry stumbled out of his fire place and had to catch himself so he didn't fall. Draco laughed a little when he saw that.

"I hate Flooing," Harry stood and tried to clean himself off. "I never could get the hang of it."

Still smiling the Malfoy got up and walked over to the other man, and started to brush soot out of his hair. Harry's green eyes met Draco's gray ones and both men grinned at each other before Draco leaned in and pressed his lips to Harry's. The dark haired man found his arms snaking their way around the Slytherin's waist as he deepened the kiss.

"Am I interrupting something?" a voice behind the men asked.

Draco and Harry sprang apart to see Pansy standing there looking at both of them.

"Well thank you Harry," her voice had a slight edge to it. "When Ron finds out about this his head will explode and I will be single again."

"Oh come on Pans," Draco groaned.

"How did you even know I was here?" Harry asked his assistant.

"You've still got the portkey," she told him. "I need to turn it and your report into your boss."

He sighed and took the watch out of his pocket, and gave the file, complete with his report, to Pansy.

"Thank you," she smirked at him. "I'll let the two of you get back to whatever you were doing."

"I appreciate that," Draco told her.

"But before I go," she stopped and turned back to them. "I'm meeting Blaise and Ginny for some drinks at the Cauldron later and we would love for the two of you to join us."

"We'll think about it Pansy," Harry told her.

"Perfect," she said brightly, walking away and raising her wand. "Have fun boys. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Meet us at seven if you two are free!"

Draco groaned as soon as his friend was gone. "I swear she does that to me on purpose."

"You don't care that she knows?" Harry wanted to make sure.

"Pansy and I don't have too many things we keep from each other," Draco told him. "We've shared a lot over the years….I mean a lot."

Draco's words started to sink into Harry's head and his mouth dropped. "You and Pansy had sex?"

"You knew we were together," Draco reminded him.

"But you didn't say anything about sex," Harry replied. "Not that there is anything wrong with that."

"During my fifth year I was almost one hundred percent sure I was gay," he explained, sitting down. "I just had to be sure and Pansy was the only person I trusted."

Harry knelt down in front of him and put his hands on the blonds. "Draco, calm down. I was just a little surprised that's all. It doesn't matter to me, it doesn't change how I feel about you or how I look at Pansy. We all have a past and I told you I'm not going to judge you for yours, I want to look toward the future."

Draco looked at the other man his eyes full of gratitude.

"This might sound so corny, and I know we haven't been dating for that long but would you want to be my boyfriend?" Draco finally asked, running a hand through his hair.

Harry couldn't help the grin that broke across his face. "I think I want that very much."

Draco beamed and he leaned in to kiss Harry once again. Just as the two men began to let the kisses go a little farther they heard the front door shut. Thinking it was Pansy trying to mess around with them again they didn't break apart this time, but it was not the former Slytherin's voice that met their ears.

"Draco?" a female voice called out a few moments before a young woman rounded the corner. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know you had company."

Harry turned to see a very slight young woman standing in Draco's flat, her arms full of what appeared to be a small boy.

"I'm so sorry to intrude Draco," she started to stammer. "I can come back later."

Draco walked over and guided her forward. "Don't be silly Ren. You are always welcome here and I wanted you and Harry to meet anyway."

Harry stepped forward and Draco pointed to the young woman. "Harry I would like to you meet one of my oldest friends, Serena Bellamy. Serena, meet Harry Potter."

For a second or two Harry was too shocked to reach out and shake her hand. The one person who was probably most interested in his recent mission, the one person who he had planned to owl and introduce himself to, was now standing face to face with him.

She finally held out her hand. "Harry, it's nice to finally meet you. Draco has talked about you for a long time."

Harry, regaining his manners, shook her hand and gave her a smile. "It's nice to meet you too Serena."

"You can call me Ren," she told him, shifting the child in her arms a little. "Everyone does, and this increasingly heavy, sleeping child in my arms is my son, Aidan."

"Ren, do you want to lay him down?" Draco asked.

The young woman shook her head. "No, I won't be staying much longer. I just wanted to drop by and give you some notes I took earlier today while I was doing research on your family history."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small notebook.

"I found something big that we should probably talk about soon," she told Draco, giving him a serious look. "But for now I will leave you two alone. I'm so sorry I interrupted."

"No, please don't apologize," Harry told her. "I'm glad to have met you, you'll actually be getting an owl from me soon anyway."

Both Draco and Serena looked at him quizzically.

"I'm the Auror that has been assigned to help in the capture of Yaxley," Harry explained.

The young woman looked taken aback. "I hadn't been told he had even been located yet."

"They weren't sure of his location until earlier this week," Harry explained. "I was sent to monitor his comings and goings, if he is in contact with any other people, things like that. We need to make sure he doesn't suspect us closing in on him."

"Well I'll be glad when he's captured Auror Potter," she smiled at him.

"Please call me Harry," he smiled at her. "I just hope I can help you get some sort of closure."

"It has been a long time coming," she replied sadly. "Anyway I should probably go. I'll look forward to talking with you further Harry."

"I hope you're not rushing off on my account," Harry spoke, feeling a little guilty. "I certainly wouldn't mind you staying."

"Thank you," she spoke to him gently. "But you would not want to deal with the terror that is my son when he wakes up from a nap."

Harry knew better than to argue, so he gave her another smile and bid her goodbye while Draco walked her out. The blond came back and automatically began to apologize.

"I'm sorry," he told Harry. "I didn't know that Ren would be stopping by."

"Don't apologize," Harry waved him off. "She's obviously a close friend and this your home. I just hope she didn't leave on my account, I probably shouldn't have blurted out that I'm the Auror on Yaxley's case."

"She would have found out eventually," Draco pointed out, pressing a kiss to the other man's cheek. "And she didn't leave because of you. I can tell you with all honesty that you do not want to be on the wrong end of Aidan after a nap, that child has some serious fire in him."

"After all Teddy has put me through I can understand," Harry chuckled as the two of them sat down. "I don't remember Ren from Hogwarts though. Was she in our year?"

"No," Draco shook his head firmly, a slight edge to his voice. "You don't remember her because she didn't go to Hogwarts. The rest of her family did but unforeseen circumstance kept Serena from attending school. She was privately tutored at home but she is the same age as you and I."

Harry was a little taken aback at the other man's clipped tone but he understood that he was probably worried about her so he let the subject drop. The two had a very pleasant day together, talking and sharing. There were no further interruptions and every so often the two would stop for a snogging session. Harry was starting to become aware of his desire to go beyond snogging but his own uncertainty held him back. He was still a virgin and he knew that Draco had at least been with Pansy in a sexual nature, he was afraid to ask if there had been others. He worried about his inability to satisfy the Slytherin because of his lack of experience. He also fretted that he would lose the blonds interest if he didn't so something soon, so he summoned up some of his Gryffindor bravery and made his move.

The pair had been sitting side by side on Draco's couch as the kissed; Harry put his hand on the older man's waist and pushed him backwards until he was almost laying on top of his former rival. The black haired wizard shivered at the closeness of the other man's body as he broke away from the kiss. He sat up and a blush came to his cheeks as he realized he was straddling Draco's lap. Harry could feel the blond man's hardness as well as his own and with a shaky breath he started to undo the buttons on Draco's shirt.

The first few came loose easily enough, but the more alabaster skin that was exposed to Harry's eyes the more he fumbled. Half of the buttons were undone when his fingers seemed to fail him and he almost groaned in frustration. Draco gently stilled the other wizard's hands, hoping that Harry would know he wasn't rejecting him. Harry looked up at the other man questioningly.

"Harry, we don't have to do anything if you're not ready," Draco told him gently.

The savior of the Wizarding world sighed. "It's not that I don't want to, I'm just…"

He trailed off and Draco sat up a little more to look at him closer.

"I might be bad at it," Harry finally blurted out, looking down at his hands. "I don't want to make you think I'm not interested, I'm just nervous."

Draco smiled at him gently, resting his hand on the back of Harry's neck. "We can take things as slow or as fast as you would like Harry. We've known each other for a long time but those years didn't exactly endear us to each other. We should take the time to get to know each other, to have a real relationship. I don't think either of us have had that luxury over the years and we deserve it. I'm not expecting anything from you right now, so take a deep breath."

Harry did as he was told before looking back up at Draco. "But you're-"

"Aroused?" Draco finished for him. "Yes I am. I am a homosexual man who had spent a good part of the afternoon snogging another attractive homosexual man. If I wasn't aroused I think you would have the right to be offended."

Harry laughed and pressed a kiss to the blonds lips once again.

"Thank you," he smiled at his partner.

"You're welcome," Draco smiled back. "Besides you aren't the only one with no experience here."

"But you just told me that you and Pansy-"

"Not that," Draco corrected himself. "I've never been in a real relationship. Pansy was a girl I was expected to date and any man I've been with has just been casual sex. I don't know what it's like to be with someone I actually care about."

Warmth spread through Harry's body when he heard Draco say he cared about him.

"Well you're doing a good job so far," he assured the gray eyed man. "The best advice I can give you right now is that we need to communicate. Besides being gay my relationship with Ginny failed because she and I never talked about what we wanted, if we were happy, what we were doing. Communication and honesty are the most important things."

Draco smirked. "Those were never very high up on the Slytherin priority list, but I'll try."

Harry elbowed him in the ribs but couldn't help his matching smirk.

"So," Draco spoke again. "Since we're communicating, would you like to join Pansy, Blaise and Ginny for drinks?

"I'd like to yea," Harry told him. "It will be nice to spend some time around our friends as a couple."

"I like the sound of that," Draco spoke gently. "Us being a couple."

"Me too," Harry admitted. "I should probably pop home before we meet them though. I still need to put some of my things away and freshen up a bit."

Draco nodded feeling that he could use a bit of freshening up himself. "I'll meet you at the Cauldron then?"

Harry leaned in and kissed him one last time. "I'll see you there."

He adjusted his glasses slightly, got to his feet and with one last goodbye was gone. Draco shifted a little uncomfortably once the other man was gone. He was still hard and could really use a wank but he knew that what Ren had brought him was even more important. He opened the small notebook and resized it starting to look over the young woman's notes. The more Draco read, the less he thought about anything except the curse. Everything he and Ren seemed to find out about it made things go from bad to worse. By the time Draco came to the end of the notes he was so upset he could hardly see straight. Picking up the nearest thing to him, he hurled it against the wall and let out a groan. He looked over at the clock, he had a little over half an hour before he had to meet Harry and their friends, and he needed to talk to Ren.

Harry arrived at the Leakey Cauldron a few minutes after seven and entered expecting to see Draco already there. He spotted Ginny after a few seconds who waved him over, but as he got closer Harry saw that the man he had spent his whole afternoon with was not there yet. He kissed Ginny and Pansy on the cheek in greeting and clapped Blaise on the back before sitting down in one of the empty chairs.

"We're glad you joined us Harry," Pansy told him. "Where's Draco?"

"I'm not sure," Harry responded looking around. "I went home for a bit to change and put away my things from the trip."

"It isn't like Draco to be late," Blaise pointed out.

"He might have gone to check on Serena," Harry shrugged. "He seemed a little worried after she stopped by to see him."

"You met Ren?" Ginny asked, clearly surprised.

"Yea, she came by to drop something off to Draco while I was there," Harry told her. "Why?"

Pansy, Blaise and Ginny all exchanged worried looks that didn't escape Harry.

"Look I might not have been a Ravenclaw but I know when something is up," he looked at each one of them. "What is going on?"

Pansy sighed. "Ren is as close to Draco as Blaise or I. She's been through a lot and Draco is very protective of her."

"I know all about Yaxley," Harry reminded Pansy. "I am the one on his case."

"It's not just that Harry," Blaise spoke this time. "Ren is very ill. She has a rare medical disorder. It wasn't even known about in the Wizarding world until Ren's case and very few Healers know how to treat her. Draco is one of those Healers so he probably went to check on her to make sure everything is alright."

Harry felt guilt set in at Blaise's words. "Well now I feel awful."

"It's alright Harry," Ginny tried to assure him. "I know Draco will tell you himself. It just isn't easy to talk about and it's not the best thing to talk about after first introductions."

The black haired wizard nodded. "Just please don't tell Draco you told me anything. I want him to tell me when he's ready."

The three friends nodded and right as they changed the subject the door to the pub opened and in came the Malfoy heir. Harry greeted him happily and Draco placed his hand on top of his boyfriends as he sat down at the table. They ordered another round and the group started to have a lovely chat. Harry soon forgot his worry about Ren and what Draco hadn't told him, after all neither Ron nor Hermione knew that he was seeing his old enemy. It was then that Harry decided he would tell Hermione about his relationship the next time he saw her. Ron on the other hand would take this new even worse than the last thing Harry had told him and right now their friendship couldn't handle any more stress. Laughing with their friends Draco and Harry seemed to forget their cares for a few hours but sadly reality was going to catch up with them sooner than either man would have liked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter and I gave you guys a long one this time. Some of the drama is about to unfold and yes I promise you will learn more about Ren and what disorder she has in future chapters. For now I wanted to give you some more pointless Drarry fluff because I love it! Hope you enjoyed, if you did leave me a review please. Love to my readers, followers and reviewers!


	5. Chapter 5: Secrets and Lies

Chapter Five: Secrets and Lies

Another few months went by in the lives of Harry and Draco and they were incredibly happy. So far the media had not found out about their relationship and both men agreed that was the way they wanted it for now. They both knew the kind of blow up that would occur when the masses finally found out about them and because they were still getting used to being a couple they didn’t want anything to jeopardize their relationship. It was a Friday night and Draco had just gotten off of five days straight over overnights. He and Harry hadn’t been able to see each other because of their conflicting schedules and they were finally going out for a much needed date. Harry had found a restaurant in Muggle London that was actually owned by a wizard. It was a place that many wizards who valued their privacy went and the owner had assured the Boy-Who-Lived that no one would disturb them.

“So where are we going?” Draco wondered as they exited Diagon Alley and walked toward central London 

“Somewhere new,” Harry told him. “I thought it would be nice for us to go on a date that doesn’t involve us sitting in a dark corner of a bar, or hiding in one of our houses. I want people to know that I’m with you but since neither of us are ready for that yet I thought we could go to a Muggle restaurant.”

“Really?” Draco looked at him incredulously.

“It’s owned by a wizard,” Harry told him. “And it’s a very nice place.”

“Do the menus have pictures of the food?” Draco teased him as they started to walk through the streets of Muggle London, both of them dressed in nice Muggle clothes. “Do the chefs wear paper hats? Do I have to talk into a clown head to place my order?”

Harry couldn’t stop his laughter but he hit Draco, a little harder than he intended, and it threw the other man off balance. Harry caught him and steadied him before he could fall but the couple ended up tangled together leaning against a nearby wall.

“Sorry,” Harry blushed a little. “But you had it coming, making fun of the stories I’ve told you about Muggle things.”

“You know I just like to get you worked up,” Draco whispered in his ear. “I have always enjoyed seeing you get all flustered.”

“Well you are very good at getting me like that,” Harry couldn’t help pulling his boyfriend closer and kissing him deeply.  


They stood like that, snogging in the dimly lit Muggle street for about five minutes before Harry broke away.  


“If we don’t stop now we won’t get to dinner,” Harry gently chastised the blond as Draco’s lips started to trail down to his partner’s neck.  


“I can think of other things even more delicious than food,” Draco purred as he finally broke away from his attentions to the other man’s skin.  


Harry couldn’t help the groan that escaped his lips and he practically had to pry himself away from Draco.  


“Later,” he promised. “We can have dessert, just the two of us, back at your place.”  


The trademark Malfoy smirk graced the gray eyed man’s features. “That sounds tempting.”  


Harry took his partner by the hand. “Come on, our reservation is in twenty minutes.”  


After more walking, the two finally made it to the restaurant, they were greeted by the hostess and taken to a very nice table in the main room of the restaurant. It was wonderful, no one was looking at them and whispering, they didn’t have to worry about anyone showing up with a camera. Here they were just two men enjoying each other’s company not 

The Boy Who Lived and The Failed Death Eater. They ordered a bottle of wine and their food and were just about to enjoy their evening when the unexpected happened.  


“Harry?” the two men heard a voice behind them.  


The man in question turned and was surprised to see Hermione walking across the restaurant hand in hand with Neville Longbottom. Silence fell over both pairs as someone tried to think of something to say.  


“Harry, may I talk to you for a moment?” Hermione finally asked him.  


The Boy Who Lived excused himself to face something more intimidating than Voldemort….Hermione Granger.  


“Harry, why on earth didn’t you tell me about this?” she finally asked him when they were far enough away from both their dates.  


“Me? Why didn’t you tell me you were dating Neville?” Harry asked.  


“Because I’m not ready for Ron to know,” Hermione admitted.  


“I’m not ready for the world to know that Draco and I are dating,” Harry told her. “Can you just imagine some of the headlines the Prophet?”  


Hermione frowned for a moment.  


“Can we just skip to the lecture Hermione?” Harry requested. “I need to be careful, it’s still Draco Malfoy and no matter what good he’s done it won’t erase his past.”  


“I think you’re mistaking me for Ronald,” she responded. “I am not in the habit of judging people solely based on their past. Believe it or not Draco and I have seen each other a few times professionally over the years and he and I get along quite well.”  


“I’m sorry,” Harry sighed. “I’m just so worried about what everyone will say.”  


“Harry, you aren’t the savior of the Wizarding World anymore,” she reminded him. “You don’t have to please everyone anymore, you don’t have to worry about what others are going to think.”  
“It’s a hard habit to break Hermione,” he laughed a little. “My problem is I don’t want to let anyone down but I want to stop caring so much what everyone thinks.”  


“Just be happy Harry,” Hermione put her hand on his arm. “You’ve done so much, you deserve that.”  


Harry remembered Pansy telling him something like that after his embarrassing coming out announcement. He had been happy for the last few months, he had been happy with Draco.  


“Thank you Hermione,” Harry pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you for understanding.”  


The two friends walked back to the table and were surprised to find Neville sitting at the table having a lively discussion with Draco.  
“Since when did you two get so friendly?” Harry asked.  


Neville got to his feet and stepped back toward Hermione. “After the war Draco contacted me about being one of the new suppliers for the apothecary and for his own potion work.”  


“I thought Neville would be a better choice than the suppliers my father used previously,” Draco shrugged. “Neville and I have been working together for nearly five years.”  


“You have good taste Harry,” Neville smiled and suddenly Draco looked embarrassed. “He would never say it himself but Draco has become a wonderful man.”  


“I think I’m the one with the good taste,” Draco quipped back. “Would you two like to join us?”  


Hermione smiled. “Thank you for the offer Draco but I think Neville and I should leave you two alone. The four of us can have dinner again some other time hopefully.”  


“Enjoy you two,” Harry smiled as he sat back down.  


“Cheers,” Neville said before he slipped his arm around Hermione’s waist and walked toward their table.  


“I would never have put the two of them together,” Harry remarked as their waiter brought their food and he and Draco began to eat.  


“Maybe not during school,” Draco agreed. “But now I think they make a good pair. Better than her and Ron at any rate.”  


Harry narrowed his eyes a little.  


“Don’t give me that look,” Draco told the other man. “Neville has hobbies that are similar to Hermione, he’s more of a homebody like she is. It’s not that I have anything against Ron anymore, but I couldn’t see the two of them making a lasting couple. The way they fought-“  


“We fought a lot too,” Harry reminded his boyfriend.  


“Yes,” the blond agreed. “But most of the time I can chalk up most of our fights to sexual tension.”  


“It was probably just because we couldn’t see that we were in love with each other,” Harry joked.  


Draco paused when Harry used the word love. The blonde wizard had known for a while now that he had fallen in love with Harry Potter but he had been too afraid to say anything for fear that Harry didn’t feel the same way. Now the word Draco had been avoiding for so long had just come up and he wasn’t sure what to do next.  


“So how has work been?” Draco asked before Harry had a chance to say anything else.  


“It’s been alright,” Harry answered trying not to show how disappointed he was that Draco had glazed over his use of the word love. “This week we’re going to be bringing in Yaxley.”  


“Serena will sleep a lot better knowing that he’s behind bars,” Draco smiled at the other man. “Thank you.”  


“How did you meet her anyway?” Harry asked as they continued their meal.  


“Our mothers were friends during school,” he explained. “Our fathers didn’t get along but our mother’s made them play nicely when we would visit. Sadly when Voldemort came back it put a big wedge between our families. The Bellamy family made their choices just like my family did so when that happened I distanced myself from her.”  


“Was that hard for you?” Harry continued to probe.  


“It was,” his boyfriend nodded. “But everything seemed difficult for everyone back then. After the war I sought her out, figuring that I needed all the friends I could get and it came at just the right time.”  


“Because of her illness?” Harry asked.  


“Who told you?” Draco wondered.  


Harry held his hand up. “No one told me anything specific. I mentioned that I had met her and Pansy, Blaise and Ginny seemed surprised. When I asked them why they just told me that she is sick and you help her manage her health.”  


“I do,” he replied simply. “But it’s something I’m not ready to talk to you about, not until I know it’s okay with Ren.”  


“Draco you don’t have to explain anything to me,” Harry assured him. “I trust you.”  


The blond felt his gut twist when Harry said that but he smiled at him anyway. He had waited for so long to hear Harry Potter say the words ‘I trust you’ and now he knew he wasn’t worthy of that trust.  


“Draco, what’s wrong?” Harry asked when he noticed the blonde had gone quiet.  


“There are so many things I want to tell you but…” he hesitated. “There are things that have happened in my life that I don’t know…don’t know how to-“  


The former Slytherin cursed his cowardice under his breath. He pushed himself away from the table, putting his head in his hands so he didn’t have to look into those searching emerald eyes. Harry watched his boyfriend in silence before getting up and kneeling beside the other man.

Harry gently rested his hand on the blond’s thigh and when Draco didn’t flinch he spoke to him. “I’m not going anywhere. I can’t imagine how much you’ve been through since the end of the war and I want to hear about every single thing that happened. I would happy sit with you while you tell me all the details but I can see you aren’t ready yet. I can be patient, just please don’t shut me out.”

Draco finally chanced a glace up and felt himself warm at Harry’s gaze. It wasn’t demanding, it wasn’t angry, it was just Harry.  
“I don’t deserve you,” Draco murmured.  
“Probably not,” Harry teased kissing him on the forehead. “But for now you’re stuck with me.”  
The Slytherin smiled and kissed the dark haired wizard.  


“Why don’t we get out of here?” Harry suggested, tossing more than enough money on the table for their dinner.  


Draco just nodded and got to his feet before leading Harry back to the apparition point the restaurant had for their customers. The two men pressed their lips together once more before Draco raised his wand and took them back to his flat. In the short time it took for them to appear back in the flat Harry had already managed to get four of the buttons on his boyfriend’s shirt undone.  


“Eager are we?” Draco smirked as the two broke away.  


“A little,” Harry blushed. “You aren’t?”  


“I am,” Draco assured him. “But I don’t want to have sex with you until I am able to be totally honest with you. I want to be able to give you everything that first time.”  


Harry nodded even though he felt his heart drop.  
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t do other fun things,” Draco smirked again, pulling Harry flush against him so he could feel that he was hard.  


Harry sucked a breath sharply through his teeth when he felt the other man press against him. “What did your devious Slytherin brain have in mind?”  


Draco kissed his way up to Harry’s ear before whispering into it. “I want to watch you touch yourself. I want to see you like no one else has before, I want to watch your face as your bring yourself pleasure and see exactly what you look like when you cum.”  


The Boy Who Lived tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his suddenly very dry throat. “And what will I get for putting on that nice little show for you?”  
The gray eyed man bit his partner’s ear. “You’ll get a show of your own of course. In fact, why don’t I go first? Then I know you’ll be ready and willing to put on a show for me.”  


Harry was having a hard time forming words so he just nodded. Draco took both his hands and led the other man into his bedroom. Harry was already getting very turned on but not enough to make him miss the size and luxury of his bedroom. It was a large room that was done in different hues of green. In the center of the room was a large bed swathed in silver that almost seemed to glow.  


“How Slytherin of you,” Harry teased.  


“It’s a part of who I am,” Draco reminded him. “Just like Gryffindor is part of who you are.”  


Draco leaned in and stopped all further conversation with his mouth on Harry’s while he pulled the other man with him toward his bed. Harry felt the back of his legs hit the edge of the bed and he fell backwards onto it but he never stopped looking at the blonde man in front of him. Draco snapped his fingers and was suddenly devoid of all clothing, Harry thought he might have been drooling but he was certain he didn’t care.  


The savior of the Wizarding world had spent a lot of time over the last few months imagining what the Malfoy heir would look like naked but his fantasies all paled in comparison to the sight that was now before him. The chiseled features were present throughout Draco’s body and they all seemed to lead Harry’s eye to what was between the other man’s legs. Harry licked his lips unconsciously as he looked at Draco’s cock for the first time. The Slytherin was already fully hard and Harry could see a drop of precum forming that he desperately wanted to taste.  


“See something you like?” Draco asked, his voice husky.  


“Just you,” Harry managed to say, his own voice lower than it usually was.  


Harry watched as Draco began to trail one of his hands down his body in a tantalizingly slow way. First he stopped and ran a finger over each nipple bringing them to hardened peaks, then he slid his hand farther knowing that Harry was watching with rapt attention. Draco non-verbally summoned his wand and cast a lubrication spell he had known since he was twelve so he was slick and ready. Finally the blond grasped his hardness in his hand and let out a moan. Harry felt that sound go straight to his own cock and bit his lip to keep from moaning as well.  


His eyes stayed riveted to the spot as he watched this man who he had come to care for and love so much stroke himself. Draco smirked and bent down to press a kiss to Harry’s lips, in turn Harry put his arms around the Slytherin’s neck and pulled so he gracefully fell to the bed next to his boyfriend.  


“Can you imagine me doing this in school Harry?” Draco asked teasingly as he propped himself up on his pillows. “I would even think of you sometimes and I’d get so angry with myself but I would cum so hard.”  


Harry didn’t respond he just continued to watch the show in front of him as his hand strayed down to his own cloth covered cock letting his eyes fall shut.  


“Look at me Harry,” Draco rasped out wanting to see those green eyes.  


Green and gray locked onto each other and Draco swore he could have cum right on the spot. Harry watching him touch himself had already made this the best wank Draco had ever had. He brought his other hand up and started to play with his balls, gently cupping and fondling them. Harry didn’t know how much more he could take before he would cum in his own pants.  


“I’ve wanted this for so long,” Draco spoke breathlessly, getting closer with every stroke. “You were the first boy I ever wanted and I can hardly believe you’re here now.”  


The blond thrust upward into his hand one last time and came in spurts all over himself and the bed.  


“Draco, please,” Harry begged, unable to take much more.  


The former Slytherin turned toward his partner and reached up to undo the buttons on his denims. He wrapped his still slick hand around Harry’s cock and started to stroke it gently. Harry had no idea that someone else touching him would feel so amazing and he let his head fall back.  


“Does it feel good?” the blond asked.  


“Yesssss,” Harry almost hissed feeling his orgasm starting to build up. “I’m getting close.”  


When Draco heard that he increased the speed of his own hand until Harry came with a shout. After the black haired man had calmed down a little he looked over at his boyfriend.  


“I’m sorry that….” Harry paused, embarrassed now that he wasn’t so aroused. “I’m sorry I didn’t last longer. I mean I don’t want to disappoint you.”  


Draco pushed himself up on his hand and kissed Harry on the lips. “It was wonderful. This is the first time you’ve done anything with another man, or anyone really, and that’s always a little awkward.”  


“Even for you?” Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.  


Draco chuckled. “Pansy and I could hardly look at each other after our first time. It’s a miracle we stayed friends.”  


Harry grabbed his wand and cast cleaning charms on both of them, before putting his clothes to rights again.  


Draco watched him, trying to get up the courage to ask him what he wanted to ask. “Harry, why don’t you stay here tonight?”  


He stopped. “Really?”  


“I’ve never shared this bed with anyone before,” Draco confessed, running a hand through his hair. “I think I’d like you to be the first.”  


“Are you sure?” Harry asked.  


“Just strip down to your boxers and get in bed Potter,” he said in a teasing tone, getting up and putting his own boxers back on.  


He did as he was told and soon he was laying with his back pressed into the blond’s chest. Draco wrapped one of his arms around Harry’s waist and settled down against the pillows.  


“Thank you for tonight,” Draco murmured already starting to fall asleep. “I think you are a lot more romantic than I am.”  


Harry smiled to himself. “I just don’t think you give yourself the chance. You’re a fast learner, and we have plenty of time.”  


Draco yawned. “I like the sound of that, and I could get used to falling asleep next to you.”  


Harry didn’t even have to look back to see that the Malfoy had fallen asleep. “Sweet dreams Draco.”  


The next morning Draco woke early, got dressed, and went to the kitchen to start cooking breakfast. Sometimes he missed having house elves to do things for him but often he found that he liked being independent. He had learned to do a lot of things that had been done for him by someone else his entire life, and it wasn’t as if he had to do things the Muggle way. He was just putting a fresh pot of tea on the table when Harry entered wearing the same clothes he had been in the night before.  


“Good morning,” Harry smiled at him.  


“Good morning,” Draco replied pulling out a chair for his guest.  


“I thought you might have gone to the hospital already.”  


“No,” Draco said, sitting down across from him. “I am not on call today, I thought maybe we could keep our date going. Unless you have to go into the Ministry.”  


The dark haired man shook his head. “The Auror’s office is closed on the weekends. I’m all yours.”  


Draco smirked a little. “I think I like the sound of that.”  


Harry leaned forward and was just about to kiss the blond when they heard the fire roar to life in the living room.  


“It’s probably Blaise,” Draco told him. “I forgot to owl him and tell him not to come for breakfast.”  


Harry made no move to get out of his seat. He knew that Blaise wasn’t going to be a problem, in fact he was glad that Draco’s best friend was more accepting than his own.  


“Papa!” cried a small voice that neither man expected.  


Before Draco could react his arms were full of a small boy with curly blond hair. The small boy looked up at Harry, gray eyes meeting green. “Papa, who is that man?”  


“Aidan, how many times have I told you, you have to hold onto me when we Floo,” a stern more familiar voice called out.  


Just then Serena Bellamy rounded the corner, a shocked expression crossing her face as she looked from Draco to Harry and back again. For a few moments, no one seemed to know what to do or say. Everyone was still as if waiting for one of the other people to speak first. It was Serena who broke out of her stupor first.  


“Aidan, why don’t we go to your room,” she walked forward and took the child by the hand. “It looks like your father might need a few moments alone.”  


After they were gone Harry still didn’t move. He had been staring at Draco since Aidan’s abrupt entrance.  


“Harry, please say something,” Draco said softly.  


The black haired man didn’t utter a word, he simply got to his feet and headed toward the fireplace. Draco scrambled to his feet and followed him.  


“Harry-”  


“Don’t touch me!” he demanded, cutting the blond off before he could do anything.  


Draco took out his wand and cast a silencing charm on the room, knowing that this could get loud.  


“Let me explain,” the Slytherin tried again.  


"Just answer me one thing Draco,” Harry said, managing to keep his voice down. “How does Serena really fit into your life?”  


Draco hesitated, looking down at his hands.  


“If you lie to me I will…I’ll…I don’t even know what I’ll do,” Harry sputtered unable to think calmly or rationally.  


The Malfoy heir took a deep breath. “Serena is my wife and Aidan is our son.”  


“Your wife?” He asked, at first in disbelief. “Your wife! So that’s why you didn’t want to have sex last night. I bet that whole ‘Never shared a bed with anyone’ was a load of bullshit too.”  


“That’s not it-“  


“You told me you were single,” Harry continued, not even hearing him. “Well you’ve always been a liar, I don’t know why I expected anything different now.”  


“Harry, I know you’re upset but if you could just listen,” Draco tried again.  


“No!” the Gryffindor insisted. “I don’t want to hear anything from you Malfoy. I don’t want to see you anymore. This was a mistake, all of it was a mistake and I should have known better.”  


Draco felt that like a punch to the gut. Harry grabbed a handful of Floo powder and threw it into the fire.  


Draco grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.  


“Harry, please,” Draco all but begged. “Don’t do this. I love you.”  


The-Boy-Who-Lived wanted to believe him. He had wanted to hear those words come out of Draco’s mouth more than he realized. For just a second Harry looked back at him; the blond’s eyes were brimming with tears and Harry had never heard Draco Malfoy beg, but he had been hurt too much.  


“It’s too late for that Draco. Goodbye.”  


Harry walked through the emerald flames and out of Draco’s life, leaving a devastated Malfoy behind him.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, what ever will happen to our favorite couple. I know I haven't posted a lot but this school semester kicked my butt. Now that I'm on spring break I will be doing a lot more writing for pleasure so stay tuned. Please let me know what you are thinking and how you're liking things.


	6. Chapter 6: Bad News

Chapter 6: Bad News

It had not been a good two weeks for Harry. He hadn’t been to the office, he hadn’t even been out of Grimmauld Place since he left Draco’s that night. 

Harry had been so upset he hadn’t even thought to turn off his Floo or change the wards. Soon enough Pansy’s head appeared in his fireplace demanding an explanation and Ginny and Blaise showed up on his front step wondering what went wrong. Harry had thrown a couple of hexes their way and they had all left. Now he was all alone, sending his work into the office by owl post and throwing away the letters and gifts from Draco and the howlers from Pansy and Ginny. 

It was early Monday morning and Harry was still in bed when he heard a tapping on the glass of his window. He opened it and saw that it was an official owl from Kingsley requesting his presence for an important meeting. Harry knew this wasn’t something he could ignore so he dressed himself in his Auror uniform and made his way to the Minister of Magic’s office. 

“Harry,” Kingsley greeted him warmly with his usual bear hug. “How have you been?” 

“I’ve been alright sir,” Harry answered, taking the seat Kingsley offered him. 

“Have you?” He asked, sitting down as well. “I’m beginning to worry.” 

“Why is that sir?” Harry asked, knowing that the Minister wouldn’t know about his break up. 

“Auror Chief Rodgers told me you wanted to be taken off of Yaxley’s capture,” the older man replied. “That isn’t like you. When you’re given a case you always see it through to the end.” 

“Well Sir,” Harry thought about how to say this without giving away anything. “I recently met Ms. Bellamy in a more personal setting and I thought it could be a conflict of interest.” 

“Unless you are romantically involved with her it isn’t,” Kingsley assured him. “Is that the case here?” 

“No Sir,” Harry answered. 

“Good, then the time has come for you to bring Yaxley in. Your team has already been briefed and your portkey will be leaving in an hour. Your orders are to bring him back here for an immediate trial.” 

Harry nodded. “Yes Minister. I won’t let you down.” 

Harry left the office with a sigh, not looking forward to seeing Ron or Pansy. He walked right past Pansy and she didn’t say a word to him, Harry wasn’t sure if that was because she was that angry at him or because she knew that he would be leaving soon to capture Yaxley. 

He entered his office to see Ron packing a first aid kit. 

“Kingsley put you on my team?” Harry asked, making Ron look up at him. 

“We are partners,” Ron reminded him. 

“Careful Ron, saying that might be too gay,” Harry replied sarcastically. 

“Come on Harry,” Ron groaned, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry but this isn’t easy for me.” 

“Isn’t easy for you?” Harry asked incredulously. “You think this has been easy for me?” 

Harry stopped himself and took a deep breath. He didn’t want to fight with Ron, they had a job to do, and if he fought with Ron he would be in an even worse mood than he already was. 

“Let’s just get this over with,” he said, picking up his own kit and walking out the door, Ron close behind him. 

Pansy stood and walked over to the redhead. “Please be careful Ron. I know what Yaxley is capable of and I don’t want you getting hurt.” 

She turned to the other Gryffindor. “You either Harry.” 

“Thanks Pansy,” was all he said before he excused himself, letting the couple say goodbye. He was happy that Pansy hadn’t told Ron anything about his dating Draco, and even happier that she knew now wasn’t the time to press him about their break up. He shrunk his kit and put it in his pocket as he reached the room Auror’s had specifically for Portkeying to and from missions. No one else was there yet so Harry sat and tried to calm his thoughts. 

The only problem was, it wasn’t working. He hadn’t been able to go a single day without thinking about Draco Malfoy. Harry missed him, and then he hated himself for missing him. He had been at war with himself for two weeks about answering one of the other man’s owls and listening to what he had to say. The more logical side of his brain however, kept reminding Harry that Malfoy had lied, that Malfoy had been lying to him since Hogwarts so why would he stop now. 

His thoughts then turned to Ren. Serena Bellamy or Serena Malfoy, Harry wasn’t sure which she was at this point. He knew she would be at Yaxley’s trial and he was sure she would try to explain things to him as well but he just couldn’t listen to it right now. He straightened his robes as the other Aurors began to file in. Harry cleared his throat. 

“Alright everyone. We’re trying to capture a very dangerous man today. Cooper and James you both are on perimeter duty. Once we’re inside you both make sure that nothing escapes from that house. Larson you are on wards; you make sure all the wards are down before we move in and keep the anti apparition ward up until Yaxley is secure. Weasley, and I are on the actual capture once we have Yaxley secure we’ll apparate back to the office and you all will make sure he house is empty and warded before returning to the Ministry. Any questions.” 

“No sir,” they all replied. 

Ron pulled out a playing card and held it out. The small team all circled around and touched it. Harry felt a familiar tug at his navel and they were off. They landed about a mile away from the house Harry had discovered Yaxley in a few months before. The small team performed disillusionment charms on themselves and moved toward the house. Auror Larson started to wave her wand in intricate patterns trying to get through the wards on the house, while Cooper and James got into thir positions at either of the exits. After a few tense moments the wards were down and Harry and Ron were given the signal to move in. 

Harry went through the back while Ron went around front. The house was rather small and with the anti-apparation ward up Yaxley wasn’t going anywhere. The boys cornered him at the fireplace desperately trying to connect to the Floo. 

“Expelliarmus” Harry yelled, catching Yaxley’s wand. 

“Get on your knees with your hands in the air,” Ron demanded, wand trained on the Death Eater. 

“Finally caught me,” Yaxley said as he sunk to his knees. “I was beginning to wonder if the Ministry’s finest were just going to let me slip through their fingers. 

“You’re under arrest for crimes against the Wizarding world,” Harry informed him before putting him in a full body-bind. 

“Come on,” Ron said, gripping one of his arms. “Let’s get him back for the trial.” 

Harry nodded and the two disapparated with a pop, landing inside the courtroom of the Ministry. 

“Go get Kingsley and the Wizengamot, I’ll take care of him,” Harry told the redhead. 

Ron nodded and left the room. Harry sat Yaxley in the defendants chair and charmed the chains to hold the man in place before taking the body-bind off of him. 

“You must be pleased with yourself Potter,” Yaxley sneered. “Defeated the Dark Lord and now you’re chasing down all his followers so they can rot in Azkaban.” 

“Only the ones who show no remorse,” Harry answered back. 

“Death Eater’s don’t know the meaning of that word.” 

“If the Dementors were still in charge of Azkaban I would make sure you got the kiss,” Harry ground out, his disgust growing. 

“Why don’t you just take care of me now Potter,” Yaxley suggested. “No one’s here, you can do what you want.” 

Harry raised his wand, much to the other man’s surprise. “Maybe I will.” 

“Auror Potter,” a familiar voice behind him spoke. “He’s not worth it.” 

“Oh, the Malfoy heir has graced us with his presence,” Yaxley mocked. 

Harry lowered his wand and turned around to see Draco standing there next to Serena. 

“Make fun of me all you want Yaxley,” Draco spoke calmly. “But at the end of this trial one of us will be walking out of this room free and the other will be walking toward a lifetime in prison.” 

“How’s your father Draco,” Yaxley asked, ignoring his previous statement. 

“Dead,” was all the blond said in response. 

“Then he has something in common with Ms. Bellamy’s parents,” the older man finally turned his sights on Ren. “You look just like your mother did the last time I saw her. For a traitor she was beautiful, so beautiful I couldn’t help myself.” 

Ren shivered at the prisoner’s implication. “I am not afraid of you.” 

Yaxley leaned over as far as he could while chained to the chair. “And that was the last thing your father saw before I killed him.” 

Harry shot a silencing charm at the man, having heard more than enough. 

“Thank you,” Ren managed to say to him before her legs nearly gave out. Draco helped her over the one of the benches just as Ron returned with Kingsley. Harry watched as everyone took their seats, including Rita Skeeter. He took the silencing charm off of Yaxley. 

“Is she the only reporter the Prophet employs?” Harry hissed at Ron indicating the bespectacled woman. 

“Relax Harry,” Ron said. “You know she likes to cover the Death Eater stories because they tend to be the most dramatic.” 

Harry wanted to respond but Kingsley was calling the court to order. 

“Arbutus Yaxley, you are charged with being a Death Eater, promotion of the Dark Arts, crimes against the Wizarding world and murder. How do you plead?” 

“Guilty,” he said with a smirk. 

Kingsley narrowed his eyes at him. “Do you have anything to say on your behalf?” 

The man’s smirk turned even colder and crueler than before. “Only to say that everything I did, I would do again without hesitation. My only regret, other than the Dark Lord’s demise, is not being able to take care of Serena Bellamy like I took care of her mother.” 

“Say her name one more time Yaxley and I’ll make sure you never feel anything below the belt again!” Draco burst out getting to his feet. 

“Mr. Malfoy contain yourself or you will be removed,” Kingsley warned. 

Ren took him by the hand and pulled him back down next to her. 

“Ms. Bellamy, would you care to say anything to the accused?” Kingsley asked. 

The young woman rose to her feet slowly. “Yes Sir, thank you.” 

Kingsley nodded for her to proceed. 

“You have been the thing that has haunted me since you killed my parents. I would have nightmares that you would come back and kill me, but after a while they stopped. I grew stronger everyday knowing that I would carry on even though my parents didn’t. I swore on their graves that one day I would look you in the eye and tell you that you failed.” Harry watched as Ren moved forward slowly and deliberately until she was standing in front of Yaxley. 

“My name is Serena Iliana Bellamy, daughter of Alexander Bellamy and Miranda Nighy-Bellamy. I am the last member of both of those houses and you did not bring me down.” 

The Death Eater in chains didn’t say anything and Ren walked back to her spot beside Draco. Kingsley turned to the other members of the council for only a moment before turning back. 

“Arbutus Yaxley, this governing body finds you guilty of all the crimes of which you have been accused. You will be remanded to Azkaban prison for the rest of your life with no contact to the outside world or other inmates and limited contact with guards. You will remain in prison for the rest of your life or until a more suitable punishment is found. If the Dementors had not all died out after the war you would be getting the Kiss. This case is dismissed.” 

Ron and Harry both got to their feet, it was their job to take Yaxley to Azkaban but before they could get to him Serena intercepted them. 

“Harry, can I have a moment?” she asked. 

Ron did the necessary spells on Yaxley. “I’ll wait for you outside.” 

The Auror led the older man past Draco and out of the court. Harry turned back to the brunette witch. 

“Harry, I just wanted to say thank you. You captured Yaxley and you helped end my nightmare.” 

He gave her a slight bow. “Just doing my job. Now if you’ll excuse me Mrs. Malfoy I have to secure the prisoner, besides I’m sure you and your husband want to celebrate.” 

The black haired man rushed out of the room past the blonde to finish what he had to do. Draco watched him go, still not sure of how to fix things. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Harry walked into the Ministry the next morning still not any happier than he had been the day before. 

“Morning Pansy-” he managed before the witch pulled him down the hall into the empty lounge the Aurors usually ate lunch in. 

“Harry James Potter, how do you explain this?” she demanded, forcing a copy of the Daily Prophet into his hands. 

_Draco Malfoy Married? Harry Potter Lets The Truth Slip At Death Eater Trial_

_By Rita Skeeter_

_Yesterday, I found myself at yet another trial for a captured Death Eater. Arbutus Yaxley, pled guilty to the charges against him, including the murder of two members of the all but extinct Bellamy family, Alexander and Miranda. The only remaining Bellamy, their daughter Serena, was there but it turns out that the young woman might not be a Bellamy any longer._

_Harry Potter, the Auror who brought Yaxley in, referred to Serena as Mrs. Malfoy when she thanked him for bringing Yaxley to justice. He then quipped that she would want to celebrate with her husband. This reporter would like to note that the Malfoy heir did come and leave with the young women in question, but at first I just believed it was two old families that had been connected long before the war._

_After further investigation, I have found that Serena Bellamy married Draco Malfoy four years ago in France. The two then moved to Spain where Malfoy continued his training in healing and potion making. Mrs. Malfoy however, hasn’t been staying with her husband in London._

_Could she not know of her husband’s fondness for Wizards? All this reporter does know is that I intend to find out all I can._

Harry stared, dumbfounded, at the paper. 

“Pansy, you have to believe me,” he stammered. “I had no idea Skeeter heard me. She was on the other side of the room when Serena came up to me. I don’t know how she heard everything that I said to Ren.” 

“Oh of course not,” Pansy scoffed. “Coming from a man who personally knew both of the inventors of the extendable ear, and touted its usefulness to every other Auror in the office.” 

The green eyed man felt himself pale a little. “Oh my god, how could I not even think that Skeeter would use something like that? Pans, I might be mad at Draco but why would I bring Ren into this? She didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“Because you’re mad at Draco,” she mused. “She’s Draco’s wife, so if you hurt her you hurt Draco.” 

“No matter what you might think of me right now, I am not that horrible of a person Pansy.” 

She crossed her arms and gave him a look that said she wasn’t buying it. 

“No matter how angry I am at him, I wouldn’t do that,” he told her firmly. “Even if he did lie.” 

The dark haired woman sighed. “Did you ever stop to think that he might have had a reason for keeping Serena and Aidan a secret?” 

“Pansy, just tell me what’s going on,” Harry begged. 

“I can’t,” she hissed. “Blaise, Ginny and I are the only ones beside you who know about Serena and Aidan and we promised Draco a long time ago that we wouldn’t tell anyone else.” 

“Well, then I’ll just go to Draco and listen to what he has to say.” 

“No you won’t,” Pansy shook her head. “Draco doesn’t want to see you Harry. He doesn’t want to talk to you, he thinks that you made the comments about Serena on purpose. The press are having a field day and have staked out Draco’s flat and their villa in Spain. Draco has moved back into Malfoy Manor with Aidan and Serena just to keep the reporters at bay. “ 

Harry groaned. “Pans, you have to help me.” 

The woman laughed. “I’m washing my hands of both of you. You two are so much alike that it makes me want to tear my hair out. The only people I’m worried about right now are Serena and Aidan, you and Draco need to sort yourselves out. I will tell you one thing Harry Potter…if the press finds out about Aidan, Draco is not the only one who will be after your head.” 

“Pansy, I promise that nothing about him will ever leave my lips unless I’m around someone who already knows.” 

“Good,” was all she said as she turned and left. 

Harry sighed as Pansy walked out and back to her desk. He knew she was right but he had no idea how to even begin to fix things. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Draco sighed as he left St. Mongo’s and headed for the Leakey Cauldron. He had just finished what felt like the longest work day of his career and had managed to avoid all members of the press with a well-placed glamour. It had been a week since the news of Serena had gotten out and nothing had calmed down because the press wasn’t getting the answers they wanted. 

Draco was happier than ever that he had convinced Serena to not only go by her maiden name, but also to have Aidan go by that as well. He knew that the media would be looking for other names in the Malfoy or even Black family but not Serena’s. 

He entered the pub and immediately saw Blaise and Ginny waiting for him. They had offered to come over and help research the curse since Serena had been feeling ill for the last few days. Draco had given her the normal potions but they didn’t seem to be working as well. He felt guilty every time he left her alone with Aidan but was thankful for the house-elves and their help. 

Neither Blaise nor Ginny spoke as he approached them, knowing that the Leakey Cauldron was often full of people who would gladly sell their stories to the press for a few galleons. The three moved toward the Floo and called out their destination, knowing the Manor was the only safe place to talk. Once all three were there Draco closed the Floo against anyone else and turned to his friends. 

“Thank you both so much for coming to help,” he said. “I’ve been having the hardest time finding anything.” 

“Well what have you found?” Blaise asked, knowing that he and Serena had been researching this curse for nearly a year and still were not any closer to understanding it. 

Draco started to talk as he led them out of his study toward the library. “Well it seems to only apply to Malfoy men or those who marry into the Malfoy family.” 

“Is Aidan protected because he’s still a Bellamy by law?” Ginny wondered. 

“No,” the blond sighed. “The curse was blood magic, so it recognizes the Malfoy blood in him. We also figured out that the spell doesn’t take hold, at least for the Malfoy men, until their fifth birthday.” 

“Did you find anything helpful?” Blaise wondered. “The family of the woman who cast the curse, a way to break it, anything?” 

“Before she started to feel poorly Serena was able to manifest the curse into a visible symbol on both myself and Aidan.” 

He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a dark black M on the backside of his wrist. The black color however seemed almost alive, throbbing and pulsing against the Malfoy’s skin. 

“When the curse breaks, the mark is meant to disappear,” he said before pulling down his sleeve. “But if we can’t find who it applies to we’ll never break it.” 

“And you’re sure that Angelica was the only name on that paper besides Orion Malfoy,” Ginny double checked. 

Draco nodded. “Serena has done countless spells to try and find any traces that could lead us back to the mystery women’s family. We’ve traced back at least a dozen pureblood family trees so far and nothing” 

“There are plenty more family trees to look at,” Blaise reminded him trying to be optimistic. “Ginny and I are here to help.” 

Draco nodded and took a deep breath as they approached the library. However before he could open the doors he heard crying from inside. Draco burst through the doors to see Aidan on the floor crying next to an unconscious Ren, both of them covered in blood. 

“Oh god,” Draco muttered before running forward and dropping to her side. “Ren! Ren, wake up.” 

Blaise performed a cleaning charm on his godson to get the blood off of him and Ginny scooped him up into her arms, trying to calm him. 

“Blaise, she’s not breathing,” Draco said urgently, waving his wand over her. “I need you to help me get her to St. Mongo’s. Gin, stay here with Aidan please.” 

Draco picked up the woman who was his best friend and his wife and cradled her in his arms. He felt Blaise grip him tightly to side-long them both and with one last look at their child Draco was gone. 

The little boy cried out for both his parents as he tried to wiggle out of Ginny’s arms. The redhead held him fast, still trying to sooth him long after the other three were gone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Usually Harry enjoyed being at work but ever since the article he could hardly take Pansy’s frosty disposition and things were still uncomfortable with Ron. Most of his days at the office now consisted of tense silence. Harry looked up when a knock came at his door and Ginny let herself into his office. 

“Hey Gin, I wasn’t expecting to see you,” he said getting to his feet. “Ron and Pansy just left for lunch.” 

“That’s alright,” she said. “I came to see you anyway. I need you to come to St. Mungo’s with me.” 

The Boy-Who-Lived shook his head. “No, Ginny. I know you’re just trying to help but you shouldn’t get in the middle of this.” 

“Oh for Merlin’s sake,” she cursed, drawing her wand. “Harry James Potter you come with me right now or you’ll have bats flying out of your nose for weeks.” 

Harry knew she wasn’t bluffing, but he couldn’t let her see how nervous her threat actually made him. 

“Do you think it’s wise to raise a wand to an Auror, Gin?” 

“My brother is an Auror as well and my boyfriend will probably be head of Gringotts one day. If I get into trouble I think I have the influence on my side to get myself out again.” 

She walked over to his fireplace and threw in some Floo powder. “After you Harry.” 

He knew he couldn’t argue so he did as he was told and came tumbling out into one of the small waiting rooms in the hospital. He looked around and saw that he was on the second floor which was odd considering that Draco’s office was on the third floor, which was where most of the potion and plant poisoning patients went. Ginny came out of the fire behind him a few seconds later and began to lead him through the busy halls. Finally they came to a door that Ginny held open for Harry, he walked inside expecting to see Draco but was surprised at what actually greeted him. 

Laying in the bed was Ren, looking even more slight and fragile than Harry had seen her so far. She looked like she had lost a lot of weight in just the few weeks since the trial. Her skin was pale and her eyes were tired, Harry hesitated after he walked into the room but she looked at him and gave him a smile. 

“Harry, I’m glad you came,” she said, her voice soft. 

“He didn’t have much of a choice,” Ginny said, walking into the room. 

“Thank you Gin,” the brunette turned to her. 

“Do you need anything?” she asked, pulling up the covers a little. “Water, anything to eat?” 

Ren shook her head. “No, thank you Gin.” 

The redhead leaned in and kissed Serena on the forehead. “I’m just going to be outside just in case Draco comes by. I’ll leave you two to talk.” 

She walked outside and shut the door behind her, leaving two people who loved Draco Malfoy. 

“Sit down Harry,” she said, indicating the chair next to her bed. “We have a lot to talk about.” 

“Serena, I didn’t mean for Rita Skeeter to find out about you,” Harry started as he sat. 

“That’s not why I asked you to come,” she assured him. “There are some things you need to hear and both you and Draco are too stubborn to speak to the other first. I’m dying and I need to make sure I fix things as much as possible before I go.” 

Harry was speechless. He didn’t know anything about what was wrong with Ren but no one had ever made it seem life-threatening. 

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked. 

“I think I should explain about Draco and I first,” she said adjusting herself a little in the bed. 

“Alright,” Harry said, sitting back to listen. 

“Draco and I have known each other all our lives. He’s known me longer than Blaise or Pansy. Our mothers were best friends at Hogwarts, the Black family and the Nighy family went back a long time. Draco is only a few months older than I am and our mothers always dreamed that we would end up together and unite the families.” 

“I sense a but coming,” Harry said. 

“My father and Lucius hated each other,” she chuckled before coughing a few times. “Daddy didn’t understand how Lucius could be so closed minded and talk about his wife and child as if they were only good for producing heirs. Whenever they were forced to be in the same room together the only thing they could talk about was Quidditch, and even that would lead to arguments sometimes.” 

“So you and Draco have always been best friends,” Harry observed. 

“Oh Merlin, no,” Ren shook her head. “When we were children I couldn’t stand him. He was a spoiled little brat who hated to lose, and was an even worse winner. I dreaded every visit to Malfoy Manor just like my father did, that was until Draco’s third year. Because of my health I had never been allowed to fly, even though I wanted to desperately. I talked Draco into lending me his broom and for the first time I flew. It was the most amazing feeling, until I crashed and smashed Draco’s broom and hurt myself. I was covered in cuts and gashes and had actually managed to injure my head. Draco wasn’t worried about the broom. He didn’t hesitate, just scooped me up, carried me inside to his potions lab and immediately started to heal me. That was the first time I ever got to see the other side of him, I was the first person besides Narcissa to see how gentle and kind he could be. 

‘Why don’t you act like that all the time?’ I asked, once my wounds were healed. 

‘You don’t think it makes me weak?’ he wondered. 

‘No, I think it makes you a good person,’ I told him. 

‘My father is never worried about if I’m a good person. He just wants me to be like him.” 

‘But you’re you Draco, you can never be him.’ 

“I think that was the first time anyone told him something like that. From that day on he was different around me because he knew I wouldn’t see him as weak. After that, he started to learn who he could trust in Slytherin and who he couldn’t. Which was good because after Voldemort rose again Draco cut himself off from me.” 

“That’s horrible,” Harry muttered. 

“It was survival,” Ren replied, her cough coming back again. “Voldemort was not happy with any of his followers when he came back.” 

“I know,” Harry told her. “I was there when it happened.” 

“It wasn’t just for his survival either,” she continued, although it seemed with great effort. “It was for mine as well. Voldemort would have used anything against Draco and Narcissa. Anyway, as Voldemort’s power grew my parents started to get more and more concerned that their refusal to join the Death Eaters would put them in a terrible position. They also worried about me being in the middle of a growing war with my health so unpredictable. That was when they sent me away with my mother’s parents. They took me and we traveled to Iceland and stayed in the Muggle communities there. We returned when I got an owl from Draco warning me that they were after my parents. Sadly we were too late to save them and my grandparents wouldn’t let me stay and get killed too. After that we kept traveling, never staying in one place too long until you finally defeated him. That was when we finally settled in France, sadly both of my grandparents passed away not long after. I was left on my own with no friends, no family and very little money, what was worse my health was deteriorating. Draco found me in one of the hospitals in France that he happened to be doing his healer training in.” 

“What’s wrong with you?” Harry finally asked. 

“I have a rare disease called Cystic Fibrosis. It was unknown in the Wizarding World until I came along and even in the Muggle world there is no cure.” 

“I grew up around Muggles and I have never heard of it,” Harry shrugged. 

“It is a genetic condition in which the lungs and digestive system become clogged with thick sticky mucus. It started when I was a baby, I had a terrible persistent cough and no matter how many healers looked at me, no one knew what was wrong. Finally someone suggested going to a Muggle doctor and that was when they figured out what was wrong. I wasn’t able to go to Hogwarts because of it, I was tutored at home. The doctors thought I wouldn’t live past fifteen so every day since then has been a blessing.” 

“What happened to get you here?” Harry asked. 

Ren stopped for a moment or two and closed her eyes as if trying to control something. It was then that her coughing began again, worse than before and would not seem to abate. Harry got to his feet but before he could do anything Ginny had rushed back inside and was sitting next to the other woman. The red head brought up a basin and calmly began to rub Ren’s back as she continued to cough. Harry was horrified to see that blood was coming out of the young woman’s mouth into the basin, but he stood back and waited. After what felt like forever Ren stopped her hacking and Ginny helped her get the last of the blood out of her mouth with some water. 

“You need rest,” the Weasley told her friend. “Blaise is coming up with Aidan in a few minutes and after that you are going to take a nap. Harry, I think it’s time for you to go.” 

“Gin, let him stay just a little longer,” Serena pleaded. “I need to do this.” 

She didn’t look happy but she nodded her head and took the basin out of the room with her to go clean it. 

“To answer your question,” the sick young woman began, her voice much more soft and strained. “My lungs are failing. The tissue has been damaged so badly that it doesn’t want to work. Every breath I take is hard for me, and potions can only do so much. Draco has been trying to develop a potion that can mend or regrow lung tissue but he hasn’t had any luck. Some of the potions he has made me have prolonged my life but sadly he can’t keep me alive forever.” 

“You can’t leave Aidan,” Harry said, hating to see any child lose a parent. 

“He was the only thing I wanted out of my life,” she told the dark haired man. “Draco and I got married out of necessity. I love him, he is my best friend but I’ve never been in love with him. However, if we were husband and wife I would have access to Malfoy money and would be able to get the best treatments and everything that I needed.” 

“He married you to help take care of you” Harry realized. 

She nodded. “And when normal healing wasn’t helping he found a potions master in Spain who he studied under. Draco Malfoy has spent the last four years keeping me alive and trying to give me whatever he could, including Aidan. Draco wanted to let the Malfoy line die, the pride he used to have in his name was gone, but he couldn’t deny me what I wanted. It was risky considering the complications that could have happened but I wanted a child so badly. The pregnancy made my health decline even faster but Aidan was worth it. Neither Draco or I would go back and change our mind.” 

“How exactly did you two have Aidan?” Harry wondered. 

“A lot of alcohol and a modified Polyjuice potion that made the top half of me look like you.” 

Harry’s mouth dropped open in shock. 

“Harry, I’m joking,” she said, managing a feeble laugh. “Hector, Draco’s potion mentor, has come up with a way that two people can have a baby without sexual intercourse. Apparently, the Muggles have been having babies this way for a few decades at this point. They take the sperm from a man and put it into the women in a doctor’s office or something.” 

“Will Aidan have the disease you have?” Harry wondered. 

“No, he won’t,” she told him. “He’s only a carrier. Both of my parents carried of a gene and it passed onto me. Draco didn’t have the gene or else Aidan would have Cystic Fibrosis too. I would never have had a child if I knew I was going to pass on this disease to them.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Harry said lamely. “I wish I could help.” 

“You can,” she assured him. “You can take care of Draco and Aidan.” 

“Draco doesn’t want to see me,” Harry sighed. 

“He’s just being stubborn Harry,” she told him. “He loves you, and he needs you. You are the only person who will be able to get through to him after I’m gone.” 

“Don’t talk that way Ren,” he looked away from her. 

Even though Harry didn’t know her well he felt like he would still miss her. 

“He deserves to be loved in a way that I couldn’t love him and you can do that too,” she reached over and opened a drawer. “You can also help us both with something else.” 

She handed him a small leather bound notebook. “Enlarge it and you’ll find information that I need your help researching. When Draco came back to London, he found a letter from his father telling him that the Malfoy family had been cursed, along with a letter that contained the original curse. We’ve been researching for months and we still haven’t been able to find out everything. I hear that Hermione might be able to help and Draco and Aidan really need his curse to be lifted.” 

Harry took the book from her. “I’ll do what I can Ren.” 

“Thank you Harry.” 

He slipped the book into his back pocket right as the door opened and Blaise entered with Aidan by the hand. 

“Mama,” the little boy looked worried. “Are you sick?” 

Blaise lifted the boy up onto the bed and he crawled toward his mother. 

Ren ran her hands through his curly blond hair and looked at him, affection alight in her eyes. “No sweetie, Mama’s just a little tired. I’m here to get some rest, I’m sorry if I worried you Aidan.” 

“Just be gentle with her bud,” Blaise warned. 

“Uncle Blaise and Aunt Ginny are worried,” Aidan told her. “Daddy’s worried too.” 

“Well they are all silly,” she said, pulling her son close to her. “I’m right here and you’re right here with me.” 

Harry watched as the little boy laid down next to his mother. Harry turned to leave but before he made it out the door he heard Aidan ask a question. 

“Mama, is that Harry Potter?” 

“Why do you ask Aidan?” Blaise wondered. 

“When I was going to bed a few nights ago Papa was talking about him, but he thought I was sleeping so he didn’t know I heard.” 

“What did he say love?” Serena asked. 

“That he wished he hadn’t messed things up, and he missed being around you.” 

Harry didn’t know what to say, he felt overwhelmed by everything that he had learned that day but yet Aidan had somehow given him a little hope. Harry bid Blaise, Aidan and Ren goodbye and went home to try and figure things out. The first thing he did was owl Hermione and ask her to come over, maybe if they could figure more out about the curse that was somewhere to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now you've learned a little about the curse, the good news is Hermione is on the job so things will soon get figured out. Also I couldn't find Yaxley's first name anywhere in canon so I made one up.


	7. Chapter 7: Shatter Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Somebody shine a light  
> I'm frozen by the fear in me  
> Somebody make me feel alive  
> And shatter me"

Chapter 7: Shatter Me  


Harry sighed as he pushed aside another book. He and Hermione had been searching the library of Grimmauld place for three days and they still hadn’t found what they needed most. After his conversation with Ren, Harry knew that he had to do whatever he could to help her, Aidan and Draco. The first thing he had done was flooed Hermione to ask for her help. After Harry told his best friend everything he knew, the two of them had read over Serena’s notes together. The first thing they looked at was the letter that Lucius had found before his death that had first indicated the curse.  


_Orion Malfoy,_  


_I write this with the last bit of my strength. I do not want to waste my last moments on you but to exact my revenge I know that I must. You ruined my life; you seduced me, made me believe that you were in love with me and then you left me at the altar. When my family found out that I had been spoiled by you and was carrying your child they treated me like I wasn’t even part of their family anymore. They disowned me and my child and I was so shamed that I was never able to marry again. Your mark was left on me and I was never able to escape it. The only daughter of a family as powerful and influential as mine and I have been treated like no more than a common whore and that is because of you. I loved you, Orion, and you took advantage of that fact. With my last breath I will be cursing your family name and anyone born to it or who choose to marry into it. Until you do right by my family this curse will last through the ages. I have sealed it in blood, the hand I once extended to you will be the nail in your coffin.  
_

_Angelica_  


The only other thing on the paper was a date they assumed was when the letter was written. Since then the two friends had been pouring over as many books about curses and dark magic as they could, as well as the records and family trees of dozens of pureblood families. Hermione had done spell after spell on the letter but they all seemed to indicate the same thing. The only way they would figure out how to break the curse was with blood: the blood of a direct descendant of Angelica. The only problem was the two friends were no closer to finding her than Ren and Draco had been.  


“This is hopeless,” Harry groaned.  


“Don’t say that Harry,” Hermione said, not looking up from the book in front of her. “Research has never let me down before.”  


“Hermione, I know that you figured out there was a Basilisk getting around Hogwarts in the plumbing, that Remus was a werewolf before anyone else did and are pretty much the only reason we were able to destroy all of Voldemort’s Horcruxes but we’re running out of time to figure this out. What if reversing the curse could save Serena?”  


Hermione closed the book and looked at her best friend softly. “Harry, she isn’t dying because of the curse. I had a chance to look into her condition more and if she’s been living with this since she was a child then it is plausible that she is just falling to her disease.”  


“But what if the curse is accelerating things?” Harry wondered.  


“I know that you have this deep urge to save everyone Harry,” she rested her hand on top of his. “But you can’t save her. You have to be prepared for the worst.”  


Harry nodded. “I know, but I still have to try Hermione. I have to try for him, for her and for their son.”  


The two lapsed into silence again but Harry couldn’t stand the quiet.  


“How are things with you and Neville?” he wondered.  


“So far things are going really well,” she replied. “He asked me to move in with him, but I haven’t decided if I want to yet.”  


Harry felt awful. He had been so caught up in work and his own personal drama he hadn’t even thought to check up on his best friend.  


“I’m sorry Hermione,” he looked up at her.  


“Well if I’m being honest, I don’t know if I would have told you if you hadn’t saw us at the restaurant that night,” she told him. “But I’m finally ready for everyone to know that Neville and I are together.”  


“I’m behind you no matter what,” he assured her. “You and Nev are good together.”  


“I wouldn’t have imagined that during our years at Hogwarts,” she smiled.  


“I always knew he had a crush on you,” Harry teased. “And besides, love isn’t something you can plan. I certainly never imagined that I would fall in love with Draco Malfoy.”  


“I always knew there was something more than just animosity between you two,” she fired right back at him.  


“Well you are usually right,” Harry admitted grudgingly.  


“It’s not as easy as it sounds,” she joked.  


“I just don’t know if I’ll be able to face Draco if I can’t do something to help,” Harry confessed. “I love him Hermione, and I already messed things up so badly.”  


“Just focus Harry,” she told him. “We haven’t failed yet, and you haven’t lost him yet.”  


The dark-haired man took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Let’s take a break for a bit. I’m starving, do you want to get something to eat? We could get takeaway.”  


“Where’s Kreacher?” she wondered.  


“It’s his night off,” Harry reminded her, since Hermione was the main reason Harry gave the elf pay and days off.  


Before either of them could make any decision the fireplace roared to life and to both of their surprise Ron strolled out with a small brown bag in his hand.  


“Ron?” Hermione asked, surprised.  


“What are you doing here?” Harry wondered, crossing his arms.  


“I come bearing food,” he said enlarging the bag he was holding from their favorite Chinese place. “Pansy finally told me everything that’s been happening. You and Malfoy, the trial, everything about Serena. She went to St. Mongo’s with Ginny and Blaise to visit Ren so I thought I would come here and help you two out.”  


Harry didn’t balk. “Well Ron, you can start in on the tangent about Malfoy and I whenever you want.”  


“That’s not why I came here Harry,” his friend told him, putting the food down. “My sister is happy with Zabini, Pansy and I are still happy…I would be a pretty big hypocrite if I gave you a hard time about your relationship with him. Pansy wasn’t our friend, she even wanted to turn Harry over to You-Know-Who but you forgave her and now you two are friends. The least I can do is try to do the same for Malfoy…I mean Draco.”  


“Well last time you were here, you weren’t so thrilled that I was interested in men at all,” Harry reminded him.  


Ron went a little red. “I don’t know what to say Harry. I was wrong, I didn’t react well and there is no defense for it. I won’t make excused for myself, but I will say that I learned my lesson and I’m sorry.”  


Harry looked at his best friend for a few moments, not saying anything. After a tense silence the dark haired man walked forward and grabbed the brown bag.  


“All I can say is that you better have gotten my usual order right.”  


For a while the three friends fell into a familiar routine as they got ready for dinner. Hermione got the drinks while Harry summoned plates and utensils and Ron passed everyone their food. For a little while they sat and talked, Hermione finally told Ron about Neville, and Harry told Ron more about his relationship with Draco.  


“I honestly can’t believe Pansy waited so long to tell you,” Harry remarked as they finished up.  


“Well she wasn’t sure how I would take it,” Ron told him. “Just like you. I’m sorry that I was such an arsehole.”  


“The important thing is that eventually, you come around,” Harry told him.  


When they finished eating Hermione banished the dishes to the kitchen and the three former Gryffindors sat down to begin their research again.  


“So all we’re really looking for is the family that this witch Angelica could be from, right?” Ron clarified as he pulled a book over.  


“Yes,” Hermione nodded. “Until we find out who she is and who we have to track down to get some of her blood we can’t figure out how to undo the spell.”  


Soon after they dove back into their research the Floo roared to life again and this time it was Pansy’s head that appeared in the flames. There was concern etched into her face and even in the emerald flames Harry could tell that her eyes were red from crying.  


“Harry, Ren is asking to see you again,” she told him softly.  


“What is it Pans?” Ron asked.  


“She doesn’t have much time left,” she replied her voice catching toward the end of the sentence.  


Harry got to his feet and grabbed a handful of powder before calling out the name of the hospital and disappearing in the blink of an eye. He walked next to Pansy in silence as they made their way up to Serena’s private room.  


“Where’s Draco?” he asked Pansy before he dared open the door.  


“We sent him home. He and Aidan both needed some sleep and food that didn’t come from the hospital cafeteria.”  


The dark haired man nodded and took a deep breath before opening the door and walking inside. Blaise and Ginny were both there already; Blaise was at Ren’s side holding her hand while Ginny stood next to her and fed her ice chips. Harry couldn’t believe how much worse she looked after only a few days. She was even thinner than she had been when Harry had seen her last and it wasn’t like she had a lot of extra weight to begin with. There were not only spells helping her now but many Muggle medical devices that Harry recognized, one of them being oxygen that was being pumped into her through a tube in her nose.  


“Hello Harry,” she said, somehow managing to smile at him. “Forgive me for what a mess I am right now.”  


“You could never be a mess,” Harry tried to tell her. “I’m only sorry I don’t have any news for you about the curse. Ron and Hermione are back at my house researching still…”  


She held up her hand and Harry stopped speaking.  


“I know that you will find a way to undo the curse but right now I need to talk to the four of you about Draco and Aidan and what to do when I’m gone.”  


“Ren, please don’t talk like that,” Blaise begged squeezing her hand.  


“Blaise Zabini, I will not have a former Slytherin sit here and give me false hope,” she chided as much as she could. “If all these years with Draco have taught me anything it’s that you and Pansy have been preparing for the worst since Draco found me passed out in the Manor that day.”  


Neither of the two friends could tell her that she was wrong so they both silenced their protests and waited for her to speak.  


“Ginny, Pansy,” she addressed the two women first. “You both have been two of the few friends I’ve had, and I’m only sad that I won’t get more time with you. I would have been proud to be at your weddings, and see your children. I only hope that you both think of me from time to time.”  


“Of course we will,” Ginny insisted, a tear rolling down her cheek as she took both Ren and Pansy’s hands.  


“Ginny, I need you to take care of Blaise,” the brunette said. “He may seem tough but just like Draco he has a soft center. He’s been hurt many times and I am so happy he found you, a woman who can truly see how wonderful of a man he is. Pans, you were the first one of Draco’s friends that I met, and I was the first person you told many of your secrets to. You are the closest thing Draco or I ever had to a sister. You were always sweet and gentle but now you aren’t afraid to show it like you were before. I also know that you both will help with Aidan and he will grow up to be an amazing young man because of the people who loved him most.”  


“Please don’t do this Ren,” Pansy begged. “We can’t lose you.”  


“You’ll still have each other,” she said letting go of both women’s hands but indicating where the two of them were still joined.  


Ginny tugged gently on Pansy’s hand and they both backed up so Blaise could come forward. He sat on the edge of her bed but didn’t look at her for a few moments.  


“You taught me how to laugh again,” Blaise said, voice rough. “After the war and losing my whole family, I didn’t know if I would again, but one afternoon with you and it seemed like everything would be alright.”  


“Well I couldn’t just sit there and watch you scowl all day,” she told him. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass.”  


He nodded and kept going. “Every time I look at Aidan I’ll think of you and how he’s going to blow us all away one day. He is amazing and a lot of that is because of you Ren. He will also have a big show offy brain because of you, be secretive because of you and you can only imagine what kind of traits he’ll get from Draco. I love them both but I don’t know what they’ll do without you.”  


“I know you’ll take care of my boys, and Pansy and Ginny,” she smiled up at him. “But don’t forget to take care of yourself too.”  


“I will,” he promised.  


“And Blaise, if you don’t propose to that beautiful, vivacious, kind woman over there, I will come back and haunt you until you do.”  


Ginny blushed a little but Blaise promised Ren he would before moving back to stand next to his girlfriend, a hand around her waist.  


“Harry,” she finally called out to him. “I know that things haven’t been easy for you. Ever since you were a child people have been asking you for things and expecting more from you than was sometimes in your power. Draco may not have had to save the world but you were both very similar. I know that he doesn’t make things easy sometimes, hell everyone in this room knows that. But we also know that when he loves someone, he loves them fiercely and forever. You’ve been under his skin since you both were eleven and I think you’re supposed to be there.”  


“How can you be sure Ren?”  


“I’ve been hearing about you for a good chunk of my life, and I know that Draco doesn’t dwell on something unless he has a reason to. The more I heard about you, the more similar I realized you and he were. Both from two prominent families, both intelligent but with the ability to brood and hold grudges. Both of you faced with a past that haunted you, a future you had no choice in.”  


As Harry listened to Ren the last of his doubts about Draco Malfoy faded away. He had never stopped to think about how similar he and the Slytherin had always been. Even the fact that the Sorting Hat had wanted Harry to be in Slytherin was proof that he and Draco weren’t as different as they always thought they were. It was true in their youth they had hated each other, but now that they had grown up and things were different.  


“I know he made a mistake not telling you about me or Aidan, but please don’t push him away,” Ren asked. “If I didn’t think that you and Draco would be perfect for each other you wouldn’t be here, but I’ve known it since the second we met. You might not have been able to see it but Draco wanted to tell you everything the day I showed up at the London flat. After everything he’s been through he hates lying to anyone.”  


“I understand why he did what he did,” Harry told her. “Aidan needed to be protected and I will do my best to make sure no one finds out about him.”  


“Eventually, Draco will be ready to announce that he has a son, but not until Aidan is older and table to take care of himself a little more. Just promise me that you will be there for Draco when he needs you, and you will help take care of Aidan.”  


“I promise Ren,” he managed, emotion thick in his voice. “I’ll protect them with my life.”  


“I know you will Harry,” she assured him. “That’s all I want, my son and my best friend to be loved. Looking around the room I know that they already are.”  


She closed her eyes for a few minutes and laid back against the pillows. She looked even more exhausted than she had before, and Harry started to pull Ginny and the other Slytherins toward the door.  


“We’ll let you get some sleep Ren,” he said. “I need to get back to researching the curse.”  


“Draco should be back soon anyway,” Blaise was the one who spoke.  


“We’ll be back in a little while Ren,” Pansy told her. “We know you need some time alone with them.”  


“But we won’t be far,” Ginny added. “If you need anything let us know.”  


The young woman gave them a feeble smile as Harry closed the door to her room behind him.  


“Harry,” Blaise spoke, putting a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Why don’t you stay here and talk to Draco when he comes back. I know he wants to see you.”  


“I can’t face him until I figure out how to reverse the curse,” he sighed. “I promised Ren that I would do everything I could.”  


“Have you found anything?” Ginny asked.  


“Not yet, maybe Ron and Hermione will have some good news for me when I get back,” Harry ran a hand through his hair.  


“We’ll let you know if anything happens,” Pansy told him as she watched him grab a handful of Floo powder and call out his destination.  


No sooner had Harry’s feet touched the ground Ron and Hermione were asking him things.  


“How is she?” Hermione wondered, helping him up.  


“Did you see Draco?” Ron questioned.  


“Draco was at home with Aidan,” he responded, dusting himself off. “And Ren…it doesn’t look good.”  


Silence passed between the three of them before they all went back to the books and kept searching. Hours passed with nothing to show and it was starting to get late.  


“Why don’t you two go home,” Harry suggested. “You both need some sleep. I’ll keep looking.”  


“Harry, don’t be ridiculous,” Hermione said firmly, closing yet another book. “We are here to help and we won’t leave until we have some answers.”  


“I just had a thought,” Ron spoke finally.  


“There’s a shock,” Harry joked dryly.  


The redhead shot the other man a look. “But really, I was just thinking about this Angelica person we’re trying to find. What if we’re looking in the wrong place?”  


“What do you mean Ron?” Hermione asked.  


“We’ve been looking for Slytherins and Pure-Bloods right?”  


“Right,” Harry nodded.  


“If it was a Pure-Blood or Slytherin family, don’t you think the curse might have been lifted already?” Ron tried to explain. “For years, Malfoys have been befriending all the right Pure-Blood families and Slytherins, so why would the curse still be on them if it was from one of those families?”  


Harry and Hermione were quiet for a few minutes.  


“That actually makes sense Ron,” Hermione finally told him. “Logically the curse was probably cast by a member of a family that still dislikes the Malfoy’s to this day.”  


Ron quickly got to his feet and raised his wand. “I’m going to go home for a minute and get the books with the Weasley and Prewitt family trees in them.”  


With a pop he was gone and Harry groaned in frustration. “Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”  


“You’ve been researching and looking through books for days, something was bound to slip your mind,” Hermione tried to reassure him. “Hopefully we’re on the right track now.”  


About five minutes later Ron came back with two books in his arms.  


“The family trees are inside these books. Open them and enlarge the tapestries and we can search for what we need,” Ron told them as he deposited them on the nearest table.  


Hermione flicked her wand a few times and both family trees were plastered on two of the library walls. Ron, Harry and Hermione all scanned the enlarged family tree for the name Angelica. After examining it for almost over two hours Ron seemed to deflate a little.  


"Maybe there is no Angelica Weasley," he sighed. "But I was so sure because of the blood feud between my family and the Malfoy's it would be from my family."  


"Don't give up yet Ron," Hermione told him. "I just found something interesting."  


She gestured for them to come closer and the two men gathered around her.  


She pointed to where one of the Weasley names was joined with a gold string to a different last name. The name was Peverell.  


"That indicates marriage," she reminded them. "What's odd is, that usually you can tap the family name with your wand and get information about who married whom, like their parents. However when we tap this name, we are only given the name Beatrix Peverell as if she just materialized out of thin air."  


Harry watched as Hermione demonstrated and when he noticed she was right he sprinted up the steps to look and see if any information about the Peverell family was available in the Black library.  


“The Peverall family?” Ron asked. “As in the family most people suspect of being the basis for the Tale of the Three Brothers.”  


“That was the first thing I thought of,” Hermione admitted.  


A few minutes later Harry came back with an incredibly thick book. “If there is something about the Peverall family during the time period we’re looking at it would be in this book.”  


Harry put the text on the desk in front of him and began to slowly flip through pages. As he went he wondered if this was just another dead end until he heard Hermione cry out.  


“I saw it!” she insisted. “Angelica Peverall, you passed it two pages ago.”  


Harry flipped back, both of his best friends gazing over his shoulders and there it was, Angelica Peverall. There was a small black line coming from her name leading to the name Beatrix Peverall. Harry took his wand and tapped Angelica’s name, waiting, and hoping something would happen. Finally, a bunch of scratched out letters appeared next to her name with a broken red line.  


“The line usually meant a broken relationship,” Hermione clarified.  


“It does look like the name Orion Malfoy was what was scratched out,” Ron said bending over to get a better look. “So who is her closest living relative?”  


Harry eagerly flipped through the pages until he got to the newest entries that were magically added every time a descendant of the Peverall line was born.  


“Oh my god,” he murmered.  


“Who is it Harry?” Hermione pressed.  


“It’s….me!” he gasped.  


“What?” Both Ron and Hermione demanded grabbing the book and looking at the page full of connected lines.  


There was the name Harry James Potter under James Potter and Lily Evans Potter.  


“You’re a decedent of the Peverall family?” Ron was amazed.  


“Somewhere along the line the name must have changed with too many female children,” Hermione spoke, turning back through the book.  


“Well,” Harry took a deep breath. “There is only one way to find out if I’m really related to Angelica.”  


Harry walked back over to where the letter sat on his desk. He raised his wand to his index finger and jabbed it with a quick needle spell. A drop of Gryffindor red blood bubbled out of the small prick and Harry pressed his finger to the parchment. A few seconds after the blood touched the paper it began to glow a silver color. Harry expected some instructions or even hidden writing to appear once his blood had been applied but neither happened. The only thing that happened was the silver glow of the last line of the letter.  


I have sealed it in blood, the hand I once extended to you will be the nail in your coffin.  


“Well what in Merlin’s name does that mean?” Ron threw up his hands. “As if this woman hasn’t already been cryptic enough. Now we have to guess how to break the curse based on one line in an old letter.”  


“Calm down Ron,” Hermione told him. “This can’t be that difficult. The ‘sealed it in blood’ has to refer to the fact that she used her own blood to curse the Malfoy line. I assume ‘the nail in your coffin’ was the consequences of the curse. It may have caused the untimely death of many a Malfoy over the years.”  


“Like Narcissa,” Harry realized. “She might have been depressed after everything that happened but she never would have kill herself as long as Draco was alive. Serena’s research found that the curse attacks Malfoy men and anyone who marries into the family, that would be just as good an explanation as any as to why Narcissa Malfoy would take her own life.”  


“Perhaps the hand she extended could simply refer to their first meeting,” Hermione continued, her face screwed up in thought. “She would have surely extended her hand to him when they met, in a friendly or congenial way.”  


“So that would mean all Malfoy would have to do is extend his hand to you,” Ron observed.  


“Like he did my first year?” Harry sighed. “Could it really be that simple?”  


“Well it would be seen as a gesture of peace between the two families,” Hermione thought aloud. “Draco puts his hand out in a gesture of goodwill and you accept it.”  


“There’s only one way to find out,” Ron said.  


It was almost six in the morning but Harry knew that if he found something Ren would want to know.  


“I’ll be back in a bit,” the green eyed man told his friends. He raised his wand and apparated outside the hospital. Rushing inside Harry took the lift up to the floor Ren was on, and jogged toward her room. Just as he rounded the corner, an unwelcome sight greeted him. Blaise was sitting in a chair in the waiting room a few feet from the room with his head in his hands. Ginny was kneeling in front of him, both of her hands resting on his knees as if she was trying to sooth him.  


“No, no, no,” Harry whispered as he approached the couple.  


Ginny rose to her feet to face her old friend. “Now isn’t the time Harry.”  


She crossed her arms over her chest and Harry noticed that her eyes were red and filled with unshed tears. She reached up a freckled hand and wiped at her eyes furiously, only making them redder.  


“When?” was the only word the other man could get out, looking from his ex to her current boyfriend.  


“Just a few minutes ago,” came Blaise’s strangled answer.  


“That can’t be,” Harry ground out. “I might have found out how to reverse the curse.”  


Around the corner Harry saw Pansy coming out of Ren’s room looking worse than Ginny did. It was then that Harry heard the cries that were coming from a kicking, very upset Aidan who was being held fast in his father’s arms. Draco’s Malfoy mask was firmly in place, and there was no trace of how he was really feeling at all on his face.  


“Harry,” Ginny hissed. “Please go home.”  


In true Potter fashion, he ignored her and walked up to Draco, whose mask slipped for only a second to show his shock at Harry’s presence.  


“Draco, I need to talk to you.”  


“Harry, can’t this wait?” Pansy stepped in front of her friend and asked, voice tired. “In case you hadn’t heard Ren just passed away.”  


Aidan began to wail again at the sound of his mother’s name. He cried out for his mother over and over, his hands reaching back over his father’s shoulders to the room where Ren still lay. Draco rocked his son and tried to quiet him, walking past Harry without a word.  


“Draco it’s about the curse,” Harry blurted out in a last effort to get the blond to stop and look at him.  


“Pans,” the Slytherin addressed his dark haired friend. “Why don’t you, Ginny and Blaise take Aidan home? I’ll be there soon.”  


Pansy lifted her godson out of his father’s arms.  


“Aunt Pansy, I want Mama,” Aidan cried as he clung to the familiar person.  


“I know sweetie,” she tried to calm him as she walked. “But don’t worry, Aunt Ginny, Uncle Blaise and I are going to take care of you.”  


Ginny took Blaise by the hand, wrapping her free arm around him and pulling him to his feet. Without a word they both fell into step behind Pansy.  


“Uncle Blaise why are you crying?” the little boy asked, sniffing back his own tears.  


“I’m just worried about you buddy,” he managed a smile but his voice was strained. “I know you never cry, because you’re so big and brave.”  


Harry didn’t hear the rest of the exchange as the four of them got into the lift and disappeared.  


“Did you have something to tell me Harry?” Draco asked, pulling his attention back.  


“Ren wanted to talk to me,” he blurted out. “Ginny came and brought me to see Ren in the hospital. That’s where she told me about the curse and gave me her research notes. She told me that the curse would affect you and Aidan and she wouldn’t be able to keep researching. I wanted to help.”  


“Really?” Draco crossed his arms, face still unreadable. “Because a few weeks ago you freaked out about me even having a son.”  


Harry sighed in frustration. Now wasn’t the time for them to be arguing or trying to get their own issues sorted.  


“I’m sorry Draco, I reacted badly-”  


“What did you want to tell me Potter?” the Malfoy cut him off. “About the curse?”  


“You have to offer me your hand,” Harry sighed. “The curse happened because my ancestor was wronged by yours. If you offer me some kind of peace then this all will go away.”  


Draco sniffed. “So if you had taken my hand in first year we could have avoided all this?”  


“Probably,” the dark haired man huffed. “I don’t know Draco, I can’t change the past. All I can do now is try to make sure it won’t impact your future.”  


The blond regarded the savior for a few moments. He felt like he was falling apart; between Ren’s death, his friends mourning her and his own feelings all he wanted to do was break down into the arms of the man in front of him. However he couldn’t, not right now at least. He had to put his son and his family before his own desires, and breaking the curse would be the best way to help.  


Draco took a deep breath. “Well then, I suppose we should make peace.”  


He held out his hand to Harry and this time Harry didn’t hesitate to take it. Both men expected to feel something or even for some kind of light to appear but nothing happened. Draco and Harry both looked at the black M on Draco’s wrist. It was still standing out dark and looming on his pail white skin. Draco pulled his hand out of Harry’s.  


“I don’t understand,” Harry looked dejected. “This should have worked.  


“Well thank you for trying,” Draco said turning away from the other man when he felt his mask start to slip. “Now if you’ll excuse me I should be getting home.”  


“Draco please don’t walk away from me.”  


The Malfoy heir didn’t have enough heart to tell the other man that he was the one who walked away first. “Enough Harry.”  


As he continued to walk toward the lift Draco finally let his tears fall.  


“Draco please,” Harry’s voice was desperate. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry.”  


Grey eyes filled with tears, Draco refused to look back. He knew that if he saw Harry one more time his heart would shatter. The young Malfoy’s heart was already beyond broken, it had been wrenched out of his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very emotional chapter to be sure, next one will be emotional as well. I'm sorry if you thought the curse was going to be broken but sadly these two still need to learn a few more things. The chapter title and quote at the beginning of the chapter were inspired by the song of the same name by Lindsey Stirling. If you haven't seen it or any of her videos go search for her on youtube now. As always thank you for reading and please let me know how you are liking the story.


	8. Chapter 8: Out Of Death, Life

Chapter 8: Out of Death, Life

When Harry got back to Grimmauld place he sent both Ron and Hermione home after telling them that Ren had died. Once they were both gone Harry stormed into the library and started throwing the books around that he had been using earlier that very day. When that wasn’t enough, he lifted up a very old, large vase and tossed it across the room. Harry watched in satisfaction as the ugly piece of dark china shattered into countless pieces, mirroring the way he, himself felt. 

After he had calmed down, he sent his owl off to the Ministry calling off from work that day before climbing upstairs and into his bed. He closed his eyes, but the darkness brought him no comfort, only images of a dying Serena, a heartbroken Aidan, and a cold Draco. As he lay there, Harry finally let his own tears come. He cried for Ren and the fact that he would never get to know her better. He cried for Aidan and how he would have to grow up only hearing stories about how wonderful his mother was; Harry knew how that felt all too well. He cried for Blaise and Pansy who were hurting for so many reasons and for Ginny who’d lost someone who, in just a short time, had come to care for her deeply. 

But mostly he cried for Draco. Harry cried because there was nothing he wanted to do more than hold the other man and smooth back his hair until he wasn’t in pain anymore. He wanted to listen to every story he had about Ren so that Harry could learn and Draco could remember. Harry wanted to proclaim that he would spend the rest of his life with Draco trying to make up for the mistakes he had made. He cried because he knew that right now he had no future with Draco Malfoy, and that thought was enough to make The-Boy-Who-Lived’s heart ache. 

After crying himself out, Harry finally fell asleep. He didn’t wake up until his old Muggle alarm clock went off for work the next morning and he could hardly pull himself together when it did. He took his morning shower but instead of the nicer clothes he usually wore to the office he put on a pair of denims and a white button down before putting on his red Auror robes and departing for work. When he finally made it to his office, Pansy wasn’t outside. He heard whispers and found that the former Slytherin was inside talking with Ron who had a comforting arm around her. She was dressed all in black and didn’t look much better than the last time Harry had seen her. 

“Hey mate,” Ron gave him a small smile. “I was worried you weren’t going to come in today.” 

“Well I couldn’t spend all day in bed like I did yesterday,” he shrugged. “Besides it’s stupid for me even to be upset about this. I hardly knew her.” 

He walked over to Pansy and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry Pans.” 

“Thank you, Harry,” she sniffed. “I miss her already, and I can understand why you feel the same way. Ren just seemed to have that effect on everyone around her. You and she would have been great friends.” 

Harry tried not to think about her last remark when he broke away from her. 

“I’m heading to the funeral now,” Pansy told him. “I came by because I want you to come with me.” 

“I don’t know,” Harry spoke hesitantly. “I made such a big deal about having figured out how to break the curse, and I was wrong. Ren died, and the curse my ancestor put on the Malfoy family is still on them. How can I face him? Why would he even want me there?” 

“Harry,” she whispered. “You promised her.” 

Harry dragged his hands through his hair and sat down behind his desk. “I know. I know, but I can’t just show up at her funeral.” 

“Draco needs you,” Pansy told him firmly. “He might have had his mask on tightly the last time you saw him, but he is hurting. He thinks he has to be strong for Aidan and me and Blaise. What he needs is for his façade to crack so he can deal with his feelings. He hasn’t cracked because he thinks he can’t in front of the people he needs to take care of, but he needs to, or else he will close himself off and become a person that none of us wants him to be.” 

Harry took a deep breath and finally said what he was afraid of. “I don’t just want to fill in for Ren. What if I’m just a substitute for her? Aidan could wind up hating me because I tried to take his mother’s place. I know what it’s like to live without parents; you look for replacements everywhere. What if I let them down or…what if I am there for Aidan and things don’t work out with Draco and I. There is nothing worse than losing someone you view as a second parent.” 

He flopped down in his office chair and buried his head in his hands. Pansy knelt down in front of the man she had come to care so much about and thought about what she wanted to say. She had gone from trying to hand Harry to Voldemort to wanting nothing more than for Harry and Draco to live happily ever after. So much had changed but now she saw that some things never would, like how scared Harry was of losing people he cared about. 

“I wish I could tell you that everything was going to work out Harry, but sadly I can’t. What I can tell you is that while you might never be Aidan’s mother you can be so much for him. You can be his friend, his teacher, and someone who cares about him. I know you do already because that is who you are. As for Draco, you’re not replacing Ren, and that isn’t why he needs you around. Harry, you are the first and only person that Draco has ever been in love with. Serena Bellamy was a lifelong friend to him, and while their relationship had its rocky moments, they did care about each other. Their marriage was in name only but half the reason Draco married Ren was because he thought that was the closest he would get to a happy ending.” 

“What do you mean?” He asked looking up at her, his eyes a little red. 

Pansy sighed. “He still thinks of himself as a marked man Harry. He still believes that he has to pay for what he did, what Lucius did, for the Malfoy involvement in the war. Draco believes that there is blood on his hands and not just Dumbledore’s, but the blood of a lot of people who were killed, including Serena’s parents. When he found Ren and realized that he could help her by marrying her, he did it, in part to ease his conscience, but also because at least he would be married to someone who he loved and who loved him. Sure it wasn’t romantic love, but just finding someone who would willingly join the Malfoy family was more than Draco thought he would ever have.” 

She paused for a moment before continuing. 

“Then you came along and changed everything as only you could,” she teased gently, trying to get Harry to smile. “Never in his wildest imaginings did Draco Malfoy think that you would want to be in the same room with him let alone have a relationship with him. When I first started working with you he would ask me all sorts of questions and wanted to know if you were different. When you started to see each other I can’t tell you how many times Draco would Floo me worrying about what he was doing to you.” 

“What he was doing to me?” Harry asked, confused. 

“He worried that when word finally got out about you dating him the press would have a field day. Former Death Eater dating The Boy Who Lived, isn’t exactly a catchy Prophet headline. The worst part was that he wasn’t worried what they would say about him, he was worried about you getting hurt. Or worse, worried that you would finally realize that he wasn’t good enough for you and break things off.” 

“But he never told me any of that.” 

“He is still a Slytherin,” Pansy reminded him. “And he is still afraid of giving away too much.” 

Harry Potter put his head back down and let a few more tears leak out of his eyes. He wished he had known more about how Draco had felt, but he was also angry at himself for not asking. 

“Harry,” Pansy spoke again. “Please come to the funeral with me.” 

The man in question looked up at her in her fine black dress robes. 

“Pansy, I’m not dressed,” he said, gesturing to his tousled appearance. 

Behind them Ron cleared his throat and held up a few items of black clothing and dress shoes. 

“I Flooed to Grimmauld place while you two were talking,” he informed them. “I thought that you might need something to wear.” 

Harry got to his feet and embraced his best friend before taking the clothing and rushing to the men’s room to change. A few minutes later he came back dressed in black pants and a black button-down, with a dark grey vest to complete the look. As he shut the door to his office, Harry heard rain begin to fall against the windows. The sky outside was getting darker with every moment, and the rain was beginning to fall in earnest. It seemed appropriate somehow that the rain was coming down today. 

Pansy crossed the room and took his arm, breaking him away from his thoughts. 

“Ron, are you sure you won’t come with us?” she asked her boyfriend. 

“You both will be alright without me,” he told her. “Besides, I don’t think Malfoy needs to see me today.” 

They both bid goodbye to Ron and walked silently down and outside the ministry. There Pansy gripped Harry’s arm so she could side-along apparate them to their destination. When they landed they appeared to be inside a small old building. 

“Where are we?” Harry asked Pansy. 

“A small church in Ireland where the rest of the Bellamy family is buried,” Pansy answered her voice wavering slightly. 

Harry offered his friend his arm, realizing that this had to be so much harder for her than it was for him. Pansy looped her arm through Harry’s, and the two of them began to walk forward, each of them bracing themselves for what was ahead of them. In the main room, there were a few people mulling around dressed in black and speaking in whispers. At the head of the room, there was a closed casket made of a polished wood that had a reddish hue to it and next to it was a picture of a much healthier looking Serena holding a baby Aidan and beaming. Harry noticed that the picture wasn’t moving and he was almost grateful for that; he had never seen Serena that happy when he had known her, and he didn’t want anything to erase that smile on her face. 

As soon as they were inside the room Harry spotted that telltale head of silver blonde hair. Draco had his son in his arms and was speaking to an older looking man with a dark complexion. 

“Who is that?” Harry asked Pansy indicating where the two were standing. 

“Hector,” Pansy responded. “Hector Suarez. He is the potion master who Draco studied under in Spain.” 

“He’s the one who helped Draco and Ren have Aidan,” Harry remembered. 

Pansy nodded. “He was very close to both of them. Draco needed a father figure with both Lucius and Snape gone.” 

Harry saw Blaise and Ginny standing close to the front, Ginny in a black dress and Blaise in tailored black dress robes. Pansy automatically went to the redhead and gave her a hug. Harry reached out and shook Blaise’s hand. 

“I’m glad you came Harry,” he told him gruffly. “Ren might not have known you well but she was fond of you.” 

Harry was saved from saying anything when Pansy broke away from Ginny and latched onto Blaise. Harry stepped to the side with Ginny to let the two old friends have a moment alone. 

The black haired wizard looked at the woman before him. “How are you Gin?” 

She sighed and tried to smile. Harry could tell she had been crying, and he knew that this day couldn’t be easy for her. 

“I haven’t been to a funeral since the war,” she admitted. “After Fred’s funeral, I just couldn’t stand it.” 

Harry nodded, understanding what she meant. 

“But I’m glad you’re here,” she told him. “Draco asked Blaise and Pansy to sit with him as family and I didn’t want to intrude on that. If you weren’t here I would be sitting alone.” 

Harry was about to respond when Blaise walked to the front of the room until he stood next to Ren’s casket. Everyone standing found a seat, Harry, and Ginny slipping into two seats a few rows back from where Pansy was sitting with Draco and Aidan. Blaise reached out and for a moment laid a hand on the polished wood. 

“It’s right that it’s raining today, not because I think the world is mourning with us, although it should be. It’s perfect because Serena loved the rain. That was one of the first things I learned about her and it’s a day I’ll never forget.” 

Blaise took a deep breath before continuing. “I wasn’t exactly happy when Draco told me he was going to marry a woman who had been a childhood friend of his but who I had never met. I had been friends with the Malfoy heir since we were five, so I wondered who she was. Not only that but I didn’t want my best mate trapped in a name only marriage with someone he didn’t love. That was the Pureblood way, but so many younger witches and wizards were choosing to marry for love. Draco might not have thought he deserved love, but I knew he did. One rainy afternoon shortly before Draco and Ren planned to get married I was invited to visit them in Spain. It didn’t start off very smoothly.” 

Harry saw both Pansy and Draco give him watery smiles. 

“I accused Ren of being a gold digger, and she accused me of being jealous and asked if I just wanted to keep Draco for myself. I was so taken aback that I actually couldn’t respond. Here she was, this slight, frail young woman, fresh out of the hospital but she wasn’t afraid to go toe to toe with me. That was one thing I always admired about Ren, her fearlessness. Not long after that Draco got called into the hospital at the request of a patient he had helped before and he asked me to stay and keep Serena company, which of course I agreed to do. After a few moments of awkward silence, sipping our tea Ren excused herself and I didn’t think anything of it. Five minutes passed and then ten and I started to wonder where she had gone. After looking around the villa and not finding her I peered out a window, surprised to see her outside in the pouring rain.” 

He paused and looked back at the picture of the young woman smiling from the picture. Blaise couldn’t help when a fond smile tugged at his lips when he thought about what happened next. 

“I rushed outside and called for her to come back in with me. Her exact words were ‘Blaise, I’m fine. It’s just water for Merlin’s sake.’ So, worrying about what Draco would do to me if she got sick again, I charged out into the rain, slung her over my shoulders and rushed back inside. I set her down just inside the door, and I asked her, what the hell she was thinking. She didn’t answer right away, she looked down at her hands, her hair forming this stringy, wet, wall between us until she finally looked up at me again. I’ll never forget what she said next. 

‘Blaise, I wasn’t supposed to live this long, most doctors thought I would be dead before I turned fifteen. I’m not afraid of dying, but what I am afraid of, is that right before I go I will look back and wish I had done more. I’ll be lying in a bed somewhere thinking about what I missed instead of remembering how amazing my life was. You haven’t had the easiest of lives, neither has Draco, neither have I, but life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.’” 

“I had never thought about living life that way, that just wasn’t how Slytherin’s looked at things. I took for granted that I would be able to wake up every morning and do whatever I wanted and here was Serena Bellamy, who had already lost so much, making the most of every second she had. There was nothing else for me to do except take out my wand, cast a spell for some music and dance in the rain with Ren. After a few minutes of the two of us out in the rain, I found myself laughing. I was laughing because I was happy, and because of the absurdness of it all and because being around Ren could make anyone smile. Draco can tell you I didn’t smile or laugh much at all during school, but I hadn’t laughed at all since the war ended, Ren changed that. After that day I wasn’t afraid anymore, I wanted to try and live my life and not be held back by anything. It was Ren who convinced me to take a chance and ask the woman I liked on a date. I didn’t think she would agree because we came from two very different backgrounds, but I did, and we’re here, together and in love, almost a year later.” 

Blaise paused and managed a small laugh. “Not to say Ren didn’t have her flaws. Because she was always living for the day, she was audacious and blunt. She was not subtle and often just told people what she thought or what she wanted. She was often impractical which drove Draco insane, but all of these flaws also got her Aidan. Her disease wasn’t exactly easy on her and having a child would only make it worse, but she wanted a baby, and Draco couldn’t deny her what she wanted. He also knew that once Ren’s mind was set on something, there was no talking her out of it. We all worried about the toll her pregnancy would take on her, but she somehow got stronger. Aidan was born happy and healthy, and from the second he was born he was the missing piece in both Draco and Ren’s lives.” 

The former Slytherin wiped a tear away from his eye. “Being a mother and being a friend were what she was best at in my opinion. She seemed to be a never-ending source of love and support. I loved watching Ren and Pansy together because I knew that neither woman had ever had a close female friend like that before. At Hogwarts, Pansy preferred to spend her time with Draco and me, and Ren had been denied the chance to get close to anyone because of her condition. They came alive when they were together, talking, laughing, telling stories. Pansy found a shopping companion in Ren, and Serena found a woman she could trust in Pansy.” 

Draco wrapped his free arm around Pansy, as she cried harder at Blaise’s words. 

“Ren never seemed to judge anyone for their past or their mistakes,” the usually stoic man continued. “It would have been easy for her to look at myself or Pansy or even Draco differently because of our involvement with Voldemort, but she never held anything against us. She gave the people she thought deserved it a second chance or a second look. I’ll be forever grateful for the second look she gave me because it brought me an amazing friend and my godson.” 

“Ren might be gone,” he said before gesturing to the picture of her. “But this is what I’ll think of whenever I want to remember her.” 

He waved his wand, and the picture came to life. Harry heard Ren singing to the tiny Aidan. 

_‘Oh Aidan, when you smile I am undone, my son. Look at my son, pride is not the word I’m looking for, there is so much more inside me now. Oh, Aidan, you outshine the morning sun, my son. When you smile, I fall apart, and I thought I was so smart. I swear that I’ll be around for you. I’ll do whatever it takes, I’ll make a million mistakes, I’ll make the world safe and sound for you. You’ll blow us all away, someday, someday. Yeah, you’ll blow us all away, someday, someday.’ ___

Blaise pointed his wand at the casket and started to slowly levitate it out into the gentle rain. Draco followed with Aidan and Pansy next to them, the rest of the small assembly following after them. Harry tapped himself and Ginny on the head and performed a quick Impervius to prevent them from getting wet. Once outside a few more words were said before Draco, with Aidan by the hand walked up and placed a bouquet of sweet pea flowers on top of Ren’s casket. 

“Do not weep for me for I have not gone,” the blonde spoke, his voice soft, and strained. “I am the wind that shakes the mighty Oak. I am the gentle rain that falls upon your face. I am the spring flower that pushes through the dark earth. I am the chuckling laughter of the mountain stream. Do not weep for me for I have not gone.” 

When Draco finished speaking, Blaise lowered the casket into the ground. The small crowd was silent for a moment or two before one by one they started to leave. Soon the only people who were left were the Slytherins with Aidan, and the two Gryffindors. Draco was staring straight ahead at the grave where Ren was now laid. 

“Draco,” Pansy finally spoke. “People are heading to the Manor for lunch.” 

He nodded but didn’t move. 

Blaise bent down and scooped Aidan up into his arms. The small boy clung to his godfather like he was afraid the older man might disappear at any moment. 

“Why don’t we give him a few minutes,” Blaise told Pansy. “We’ll go back and start seeing to the guests.” 

Pansy nodded and turned to leave with Blaise. Ginny fell into step next to them, and Harry was about to follow when the dark-haired woman stopped him. 

“Why don’t you stay for a moment Harry,” she suggested. “You didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to Ren.” 

Harry didn’t move until he and Draco were truly alone. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward and stood before the still open grave. He took out his wand and transfigured a bouquet of lilies at the foot of Ren’s headstone. He could feel Draco’s eyes on him, but Harry didn’t want to focus on him yet. 

“I know I’m a little too late for goodbye,” he spoke aloud as if Ren were standing in front of him. “But I need to say thank you. Thank you for making me listen to you and your story. Thank you for helping me break down my walls and making me realize that I didn’t make a mistake. Thank you for loving Pansy and Ginny unconditionally. Thank you for being a friend Blaise could laugh with. Thank you for teaching Draco to love, for taking care of him. I promise I will keep taking care of the Malfoy men. Thank you for not giving up on Draco or me, for believing we belong together. And last but most importantly, thank you for that gorgeous, precocious, amazing little boy. I promise you that he will be so loved. I’m forever grateful Ren.” 

Harry didn’t even notice that Draco had walked up and stood next to him. 

“I’m so-” 

The dark haired man grabbed his hand to stop him before turning to the man beside him. 

“Don’t say it Draco,” Harry said gently. “Please don’t say you’re sorry, you have nothing to be sorry about, I’m just sorry I didn’t see that earlier.” 

“I should have told you about Ren and Aidan when you first met them,” he spoke quickly, afraid Harry would stop him again. “I just didn’t know how, and our relationship was just starting. I was afraid of what would happen if I told you and things didn’t work out between us.” 

Harry put his finger on the blond’s lips. “We’ve all kept secrets because we wanted to protect someone. You wanted to keep Ren and Aidan out of the public eye, and I understand that now. My reaction wasn’t fair to you.” 

“Well it isn’t as if our relationship was built on a foundation of trust,” Draco managed to smile. 

Harry couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped his lips. “No, it was built on awkward sexual tension and insults.” 

Draco reached out and took his hand. “I want us to talk.” 

“So do I,” Harry agreed. “But right now you should get back to the Manor; there are people waiting there for you.” 

Grey eyes met green ones for a moment as Draco tried to survey Harry. 

“I won’t go anywhere this time,” Harry promised, reaching up and resting his hand on the other man’s cheek. “I missed you.” 

The Malfoy finally let his mask fall, and tears sprang to his eyes. He crumbled into Harry’s touch, and the Gryffindor was there to catch him. Harry held Draco as he cried, running his hands up and down the blond’s back in a soothing manner. After a few minutes, Draco felt like he had control over himself again and broke away from Harry. 

“I should get to the Manor,” he spoke softly, holding his hand out for the other man. “I can sidelong Apparate you with me.” 

Harry just nodded and took the other man’s hand, squeezing it in his own before Draco raised his wand. They landed in a richly appointed hallway with polished wood floors and stone walls. This was a part of the Manor Harry had been in before, but it looked different than he remembered. Gone were the dark trappings and tapestries that used to adorn the walls. They had been replaced with bright colored paintings and the floor covered with a light colored rug. 

“Did you redecorate?” Harry asked. 

“Yes,” Draco replied. “When I brought Ren and Aidan here I knew that I wanted to brighten the Manor up. It had too many dark memories tied to it, so I figured I could chase them away with a few changes.” 

Harry smiled at him. “I like it.” 

A house elf popped up to take their coats and then Harry followed Draco up a set of stairs and toward the back of the house. They passed through the main sitting room where Harry could still hear Hermione’s anguished screams and see Bellatrix toss her knife at Dobby. He was glad that they weren’t staying in that room. 

Draco led Harry back toward one of the more formal sitting rooms where the house elves had prepared everything. When they entered they saw that Pansy was playing the role of hostess, while Blaise and Ginny took care of Aidan. 

The Malfoy heir began to circulate through the room accepting condolences, so Harry sat down with Ginny, Blaise and the youngest Malfoy. 

“How is he?” Blaise asked. 

“He finally cracked a little,” Harry told him. “The mask was gone for a few minutes.” 

“But he’s back in public now, so it’s right back up,” Ginny sighed. 

“He just needs some time,” Harry said, trying to reassure them. 

“I miss Mama,” Aidan sniffed, burrowing his head into Blaise’s chest. 

Harry looked down at the curly haired boy and had an idea. He took out his wallet, and the picture he had of his parents that he always kept with him. 

“Let me show you something Aidan,” he said, crouching down next to him. “This is my mum and dad.” 

Harry looked up to see the grey-eyed boy watching him intently. 

“They both died when I was really little like you,” Harry continued. “I keep this picture of them with me all the time, so I never forget them. If you want, you can hold onto this picture until we can find you a picture of your mum for you to carry.” 

The dark-haired man held out the photo for the young boy and waited to see what he would do. After a moment or two Aidan reached out and took the picture from Harry’s hands looking at it closely. 

“Your mum was pretty,” Aidan told Harry. 

“So was yours,” Harry smiled at him. 

“Thank you, Harry,” he managed with a small smile. 

“You’re welcome Aidan,” the older man smiled back. 

The rest of the afternoon passed in a flash. Harry helped Pansy with the guests, as well as keeping Aidan distracted. Finally, as the night got closer, the mourners began to leave the Manor. Aidan had fallen asleep in Pansy’s arms, and Draco looked like he was about to fall asleep as well. 

“We both haven’t been getting a lot of sleep,” Draco said, trying to stifle a yawn. 

“I’ll tuck him in,” Pansy told her friend. “And then I’m going to head home.” 

Ginny and Blaise got to their feet, hand in hand. 

“We’re going to head out too,” Ginny told him. “Blaise has agreed to come to lunch with the family tomorrow.” 

“Ron asked me as well,” Pansy told her. “But Draco, if you need us we’re just an owl away.” 

“Don’t worry about me,” Draco told them. “Just go and make a good impression on the Weasley clan.” 

“Yea, I’m going to stay with them,” Harry said. “You three just have a good time.” 

Draco got up off the couch and embraced each of his friends. “I love you all. I’m sorry if I don’t say that enough.” 

They each smiled at him. 

“Don’t go getting all mushy on us,” Ginny teased, kissing him on the cheek. 

“Yea,” Blaise said, throwing an arm around him. “Where is that Malfoy mask now?” 

“Just remember we love you too, no matter what,” Pansy assured him, adjusting Aidan a little so she could kiss him on the cheek as well. 

Draco leaned over the sleeping little boy. “I love you, Aidan. Sleep tight, my son.” 

Harry bid them all goodnight as well and then they were gone, leaving him alone with the Malfoy heir once again. 

“So, you’re going to stay with me?” Draco finally looked at the dark-haired man. 

“I know you didn’t ask me too, and I can certainly go home,” he added hastily. “But I thought you might not want to be alone tonight, especially here.” 

Draco sat back on the couch and tugged Harry down with him. 

“Didn’t anyone tell you what happens when you assume things, Potter?” Draco asked, no hint of malice in his voice. 

“Something about making an ass of myself,” Harry replied. “But I do that a lot anyway.” 

He settled back into the cushions and pulled the fair-haired man back to lay on his chest. 

“It’s a good thing I like your ass then,” Draco said, yawning again. 

“I’m sorry that taking your hand didn’t break the curse,” Harry finally voiced what he wanted to say all day. 

“It isn’t your fault,” Draco told him. “We still have time to figure things out. Aidan only just turned four, so we have a whole year to find a way to break the curse.” 

“I won’t let anything happen to him Draco,” Harry promised. “If I have to spill my own blood I won’t let Aidan be harmed by the curse.” 

“Shhh,” Draco said, looking up at him. “It won’t come to that Harry.” 

“How can you be sure?” 

“If there is one thing Ren’s death has taught me is not to worry about things that you don’t have time to change,” he said, turning in Harry’s arms. “I tried to save her, but I had over twenty years working against me. I didn’t have enough time to try and find a way to cure her. We have time to save Aidan, and with how determined and stubborn we both are, I don’t think we will fail.” 

The green-eyed wizard reached down and brushed a strand of hair out of the other man’s eyes. 

“I missed you,” he mused quietly. “We just can’t seem to stop arguing.” 

“I don’t think we’ll ever stop,” Draco laughed. “But all couples argue.” 

“Ron and Hermione argued until they broke up,” Harry said, still a little afraid he and Draco were too different to stay together. 

“I know it’s scary,” Draco continued, looking into Harry’s green eyes. “But I had a chance to be apart from you for a while, and I didn’t like it.” 

“Nor did I,” Harry told him. 

“That means that we’ll always find a way to work things out,” Draco promised. 

“Well, Ren certainly believed that we belong together.” 

“She did,” Draco smiled, a tear slipping out of his eye. “You should have seen her face when I came home from the memorial for the fallen and told her I had kissed you.” 

Harry wiped away the small droplet and smiled back at him. “I will be here, no matter what. No matter how long it takes for you to heal, knowing that your son comes first in your life, just know that my wasted heart will love you until the day I die.” 

Draco felt tears pricking at his eyes again and he let them fall. They were tears of happiness because of what Harry had said, tears of mourning for his best friend, tears of concern for his son. He melted into the other man’s embrace and finally let everything out. Harry wrapped his arms tighter around Draco one of his hands reaching up to run soothing fingers through his soft blond hair. The two fell into a comfortable silence and soon Draco had cried himself out and fallen asleep on Harry’s chest. The former Gryffindor continued to card his fingers through the other man’s blond, silky, strands, just content to be near him again. After almost an hour Harry was just starting to get tired himself when he heard an alarm go off in the room. 

Draco stirred a little at the loud noise, “Aidan.” 

It was then that Harry realized that the noise was an alert Draco had set to his son’s room if Aidan called out or needed something in the middle of the night. 

The blond turned over and mumbled. “I was always taken care of by house elves in the middle of the night. I didn’t want Aidan to go through that too.” 

Harry gently extracted himself from the taller man’s grasp and pressed a kiss to his forehead, “I’ll go make sure Aidan is okay. You just sleep, love.” 

He called a house elf who escorted him to Aidan’s room and after knocking he left himself in. He could automatically tell that the young boy was disappointed to see him instead of his father. 

“Your dad was sleeping, so I told him I would come up and make sure you’re alright,” Harry gave the young Malfoy a small smile. “What’s wrong.” 

“I had a dream about Mama,” Aidan sniffed. 

Harry walked further into the room. “I know all about those.” 

“But I thought big Wizards never got bad dreams,” Aidan said, looking up at the dark-haired man. 

“I still have nightmares sometimes, and I bet your dad does too.” 

“I don’t know,” he seemed unsure. “You and Papa aren’t afraid of anything.” 

Harry sat down on the edge of Aidan’s bed. “Everyone is afraid of something Aidan. Even the worst dark wizard of the age was afraid of something.” 

“What are you afraid of?” the young boy asked him. 

Thinking for a moment or two, Harry let out a sigh. “I’m afraid of losing people I love. That is what my nightmares are about.” 

Aidan reached over to his bedside table and picked up the photo Harry had given him earlier. “Like you lost your mum and dad?” 

“Yes, just like that,” Harry replied. “But just because I lost them, and other people I loved doesn’t stop me from loving. I love my friends; I love your Aunt Ginny, and Aunt Pansy and your Uncle Blaise.” 

“Do you love my Papa?” Aidan finally asked. 

Harry hadn’t been expecting that question, but he felt he had to be honest with Aidan if they were ever going to trust each other. 

“I do love him,” Harry finally said. “It took us both a long time to admit how we felt about each other, and I want to be with him for as long as he’ll have me. However, I know that he and you both just lost someone important, and I don’t want to replace her Aidan.” 

The curly haired boy looked up, and Harry kept going. 

“You already have a father, and I could never be your mother, and I don’t want to try. After I lost my parents, I was sent to live with my Aunt and Uncle and neither of them liked me very much. My cousin bullied me, and I didn’t have any friends until I went to Hogwarts. I want to make sure that you never feel like that, I want to help your papa make sure you are always loved and taken care of. All I want is to be your friend because I love you too.” 

What neither Harry nor Aidan realized was that Draco hadn’t been able to go back to sleep and had crept upstairs, thinking his son wouldn’t be quieted so easily. He had paused when he heard Harry and Aidan talking, and now he couldn’t move he was so overwhelmed with the magnitude of his feelings. 

Aidan set down the picture and smiled at Harry. 

“Friends?” he asked, reaching out to the older man. 

“Friends,” Harry agreed, taking the little boys hand. 

Draco continued to smile until he noticed a slight glow coming from not only in the room but also from where he was standing too. He looked down at his wrist where the black M that Ren had manifested to show the curse was. It was slowly fading from his skin with a golden glow. He couldn’t help himself and rushed forward into his son’s room, surprising them both. 

“Draco, what happened?” Harry asked. 

“You broke the curse,” he smiled widely, looking at Aidan’s wrist and the disappearing M there as well. 

“How?” the dark haired wizard looked confused. 

Draco picked up his son and held him close. “You took Aidan’s hand when he reached out to you as a friend. Ren thought that because the curse hadn’t effected Aidan yet he wouldn’t be a factor in breaking it. I’ve never been so glad that she was wrong.” 

“That’s why it didn’t work when I took your hand,” Harry realized. “It had to be the most recent descendants of the families.” 

Draco never thought that he would be this happy on the same day he had to bury Ren, but knowing that he and his son were now free from the curse was more comforting than he could ever express. 

“Once again,” Harry mused. “It wouldn’t have happened without Ren doing what she did.” 

Draco laughed and hugged Aidan again. “She was always looking out for what was best for us.” 

A little while later Draco put Aidan back to sleep before retreating to the lounge where they had originally been. 

“I feel like I can breathe again,” Draco mused, as he sat back on the couch, a light tone in his voice. 

“Weren’t you just telling me not to worry about things I can’t change.” 

Draco looked up into those famous green eyes. “I didn’t want you to worry when I was doing enough for both of us.” 

“You should owl Blaise and Pansy and tell them the curse is broken.” 

The blond took the other man’s hand and pulled him down next to him. “I will tomorrow, right now I just want to be with you. For a few hours, it’s just you and me, no jobs, no outside world, no newspaper articles.” 

Harry pressed his lips to Draco’s for a moment or two. “That sounds perfect.” 

The two men sat, curled together on the couch, each taking turns sharing stories from their past. They knew that the outside world wouldn’t stay at bay for long, but when they finally did have to face it, they would face it together, and uncursed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The curse is broken. Sorry if it was too subtle for some of you, but my plan all along was to have it be broken during a moment between Harry and Aidan. This chapter took me awhile, between school, work and a serious bought with depression it was a chore getting it done. But it's done now and it's a pretty good length for you all. Also, I have listened to the Hamilton soundtrack one too many times and I could see a parent singing parts of Dear Theodosia to their child so I ran with it. I also had a Love Actually quote in there if anyone can spot it. I own nothing except my original characters. If you enjoyed it please let me know, if you didn't let me know so I can improve. Much love to everyone who has been following this journey with me. Two more chapters till the end!


	9. Chapter 9: Family Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry this took so long. Between finishing up school, working over the summer, trying to write my original novel and just life in general this got pushed to the back burner. However lately I've had a Drarry fire burning inside me so I thought I would work on finishing this. This chapter is not much except smut and fluff so enjoy, but also be gentle. This is my first time ever really writing smut.

The summer turned to fall and things went on and soon Christmas was getting closer and closer. Draco and Aidan had moved back to the Manor permanently, reasoning that a young boy needed room to grow and explore, and have fun. Harry would often take Teddy over with him so the boys could get to know each other, and they became fast friends. Harry hadn’t spent the night at the Manor since Ren’s funeral, mostly because both his and Draco’s schedules constantly seemed to work against each other. Both men hated it and after months of dates being cut short, and just missing each other, Draco made an important decision. He was going to ask Harry to move into the manor with himself and Aidan.  


He wanted to do it right so he sent out owls to the whole Weasley clan, Hermione, Neville, his Aunt, Blaise and Pansy, inviting all of them to Christmas at the Manor. Mrs.Weasley responded first, asking if she could do anything for the day. Draco knew that the Weasley matriarch was used to cooking the meal herself and he told her that if she wanted to cook the house elves would follow her lead. Secretly he was delighted when she agreed, the Malfoy’s had accompanied Harry to many a Weasley family dinner over the last few months, and he knew how wonderful her cooking was.  


The night before Christmas Draco found himself alone with Aidan, he had taken a few days off from the hospital to help his son through the first Christmas without his mother. It was Christmas Eve, and Draco was just coming downstairs after putting Aidan to bed when he was surprised to find Harry in the entrance hall wrapped in a cloak.  


“I didn’t know you were coming to see me,” Draco smiled, kissing the other wizard firmly.  


“I have a present for you,” Harry told him with a smirk. “And you’ve been so good that I decided to give it to you early.”  


“Oh really?” Draco raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend.  


“However, maybe we should take this to your room,” Harry said, voice dropping slightly. 

Draco reached out and took the dark-haired man by the hand and led him upstairs to his private suite. The room came to life when Draco entered it, flames popped up in the fireplace and the sconces on the wall lit up the rest of the room. Draco gently sat on the edge of his bed his eyes looking intently at Harry Potter standing in his bedroom. Harry toed off his shoes and stood in front of the blond but far enough away that Draco would have a good view.  


“So, what is this present you told me about?” Draco asked.  


Harry, who was suddenly very nervous, reached up and unbuttoned his cloak letting it fall to the floor. Underneath it, all he was wearing was red ribbon he had wrapped around his chest and tied in a bow, and Slytherin green boxers.  


“Would you like to unwrap it?” Harry asked.  


“Yesss,” Draco almost hissed.  


“Have you been a good boy?” Harry asked stepping closer to him.  


“I think you’ll find it much more enjoyable when I’m being bad,” Draco smirked, his voice dropping low as well.  


The Slytherin got to his feet and grabbed onto the red ribbon circling the other man’s chest, pulling Harry flush against his body and claiming his mouth. It had been a long time since the two men had been intimate with each other in any way and their kisses were already heated, all lips, teeth and tongue. Harry sucked Draco’s lower lip into his mouth and bit it gently which caused his partner to moan.  


As they kissed Draco started to shed his clothes, already too worked up to concentrate on the spells that would have stripped him automatically. Finally, when his shirt was off and he had managed to take off his shoes he broke the kiss and stepped back to look at his boyfriend. The last time Harry had been this naked was the night before he found the truth out about Ren, and Draco hadn’t really taken the time to appreciate the visual. His body was well defined from years of playing Quidditch, but he wasn’t overly muscled. The ribbons seemed to bring his attention to all of the most appealing places on Harry’s body and Draco knew at that moment that he would never want anyone else the way he wanted Harry Potter.  


“See something you like?” Harry asked, echoing his own question from their first night together.  


“Fuck yes,” Draco responded, his answer more direct than the one Harry had given him.  


The blond man grabbed one of the ribbons of the bow and pulled until the red strands were falling away from Harry’s body and to the floor. Then, he hooked his fingers in the waistband of the green boxers that he was happy to see were already tenting in the front. He gently pulled them down until they were a pool of fabric at Harry’s feet, which the Gryffindor kicked away.  


“You’ve unwrapped me,” he said, voice husky. “Do you like your present?”  


Draco didn’t respond, he just sunk to his knees and took the other man’s prick in his hand, gently stroking it.  


“Pretty and practical,” Draco smirked, his mouth close enough to the head of the other man’s cock it made Harry shiver. “Now what should I do with my new toy?”  


As he asked the question he whispered a charm and suddenly his hand was slick with lube. He smeared it up and down his boyfriend’s hardness, stroking him a little more firmly and quickly than before.  


“Anything you want,” Harry encouraged, his voice sounding a little ragged to his own ears.  


The blond got to his feet and let go of the dark-haired man for just a moment which drew a whimper from him. Draco claimed the Gryffindor’s lips once again and as they kissed, he steered them both back until they fell onto his bed. Draco broke away from Harry and nibbled gently down to his neck where he proceeded to bite and suck until a red mark appeared on Harry’s tanned skin.  


Before Harry had a chance to say anything Draco was licking a hot trail from the mark on the man’s neck down the center of his chest and toward the prize that was between his legs. Harry held his breath unable to think as Draco touched and licked him. He had come here intending to be the one to please the Slytherin but he was so turned on at the moment he couldn’t bring himself to stop the man doing wicked things to him.  


Just as Harry was about to tell Draco that he was supposed to be doing all of this to him, the Malfoy heir opened his mouth and all but swallowed Harry’s cock.  


“Oh dear sweet fucking Merlin,” Harry swore, having never felt anything as wonderful as the heat of the other man’s mouth.  


Encouraged by his boyfriend’s reaction, Draco kept up his assault on the treat in his mouth. His own cock was rock hard and still trapped in his trousers, but he knew that Harry had never done anything like this before and he wanted to make it as enjoyable as possible. At first Draco just lazily bobbed his head up and down, making sure to keep his rhythm light and teasing. Soon Harry started to buck his hips upwards, asking for more, Draco obliged. He pressed his hand flat against Harry’s hip to still his movements before taking more of his lover into his mouth.  


When Harry felt the head of his cock hit the back of Draco’s throat he cried out and had to hold himself back from cumming. He looked down just in time to see those gray eyes look up at him as Draco gently dragged his teeth across the head of Harry’s cock.  


“Fuck,” he threw his head back, the pleasure and pain mixing to make his toes curl.  


Draco chuckled to himself, deep throating Harry again.  


“Stop,” Harry begged, feeling his release coming. “Draco, stop.”  


The grey eyed man looked up indignantly. “I don’t think anyone has ever asked me to stop when I’ve done that before.”  


Harry shook his head. “It’s not that I wasn’t enjoying it. A few more seconds and how much I loved it would have been shooting into your mouth.”  


Draco smirked a little at those words.  


“I stopped you,” Harry continued, taking a few deep breaths. “Because I want you to fuck me.”  


The Malfoy hadn’t been expecting that request.  


“Harry, are you sure?” he asked quietly. “It’s your first time, it’s going to-”  


“Hurt,” Harry finished for him. “I know that, but I still want you. I want to give myself to you completely. I know that things between us have never been easy, but I wouldn’t change any of it.”  


“Not the Dementors in third year, or ‘POTTER STINKS’ or the Inquisitorial Squad?” Draco asked, naming just a few of his many mistakes from their youth.  


Harry sat up and ran his fingers over some of the faint scars that marred the blond’s otherwise perfect chest.  


“We’ve both made mistakes,” he said as he laid his hand flat right over Draco's heart. “If changing any of that meant that I wouldn’t be right here, right now with you, then I would face it all again.”  


“I love you,” Draco told him, his eyes never breaking away from the green ones that transfixed him.  


“I love you too,” Harry smiled up at him. “I want you, I need you.”  


The blonde leaned forward and claimed the wizards lips again as he summoned one of the pillows from the head of the bed. He broke away from the other man and positioned the pillow beneath him.  


“Lay back with the pillow under your hips,” he told Harry, his own voice harsh with his arousal. He was so hard at this point it was almost painful so he stopped and took his trousers and boxers off while his partner was busy getting settled. Draco took his wand and performed another lube charm so his hand was coated with the slick substance again.  


Harry for his part, was trying to relax. He really did want this but he would be a liar if he said he wasn’t nervous at all.  


“Spread your legs,” he heard Draco ask, voice husky.  


The green-eyed man did as he was told and spread his legs wide so that the Slytherin could nestle between them.  


“Relax Harry,” Draco soothed, using his clean hand to stroke his boyfriend’s inner thigh gently. “If the pain is too much just tell me and I will stop. This is supposed to be enjoyable for us both.”  


He nodded and propped himself up on his elbows, wanting to see what the nefarious man would do next. Draco lowered himself until his head was perched on the well-toned muscles of one of Harry’s thigh. He took one slippery finger and gently started to probe Harry’s tight entrance. The Boy-Who-Lived took a few deep breaths and tried to let any stress fall away from his body. He sunk a little deeper into the mattress and when he did, Draco finally breached him.  


“Ahhh,” he hissed, a slight burning sensation asked the overall pleasure but he kept relaxing.  


Draco kept his eyes on his partner as he moved the oiled digit in and out of the man lying before him. He moved his finger in soft, languid thrusts, first in, then pausing for a moment to let Harry adjust and then out again.  


“Are you alright?” Draco asked after a few minutes, feeling the ring of muscle loosening a little.  


“Yeah,” Harry breathed, the burning sensation almost gone and replaced with spikes of strong desire.  


“Good, just keep relaxing,” Draco smiled, leaning down to distract the man with a kiss while he added a second finger.  


Harry cried out when a second, long slender finger joined the first, although his words were lost in Draco’s kiss. He spread his legs wider and concentrated on staying relaxed and enjoying what was happening to him. The blond wizard broke away and kissed both of Harry’s inner thighs as he started to twist his fingers inside of him searching for a place inside the saviour that Draco knew he would enjoy.  


The Gryffindor didn’t know what happened one second Draco was twisting his talented fingers inside of him and the next he was almost shooting off the bed in pleasure.  


"Are you still sure about this Harry? We can still stop." 

“Draco Malfoy if you don’t get up here and fuck me I cannot be held responsible for my actions,” Harry warned, amazed he hadn’t cum already.  


His boyfriend smirked again and with one last spell slicked himself before tossing his wand aside and getting into position between Harry Potter’s legs. For a few moments, he teased Harry’s opening with the head of his cock, trying to let him get used to the feeling of being full. Harry was in a little pain but just continued to ride the waves up and down, waiting to see what Draco would do next. The blond man rested one hand on the other man’s hip and the other he used to guide himself into the tight wet heat that was the man he loved. Slowly, he slid into his lover’s body, gritting his teeth to prevent himself from going too fast. He sheathed himself all the way and then waited, watching the other man’s emotion s play out on his face. He saw pain and discomfort there, but he also saw hunger, desire, and pleasure as well. Harry closed his eyes as his body tried to adjust to the new feelings happening to it. He felt Draco still and he looked up at his old nemesis whom he now loved so much.  


The pair locked eyes and Harry nodded, not trusting himself to say anything. Draco reached down and pulled Harry’s legs up so he could wrap them around his waist, then he began to move. Never in his life had Harry felt so many things, he felt like he wanted to cry and moan, he wanted Draco to go harder and faster but he wanted to last. The burning was going away with every thrust of the other man’s hips and replacing it was a feeling that was lighting Harry’s nerve endings on fire.  


“You’re so hot,” Draco ground out as he thrust. “And so fucking tight.”  


This was the most undone Harry had ever seen Draco and there was something even more beautiful about him in this uninhibited state.  


“It’s all for you,” Harry answered back, his hips starting to move in time with Draco’s. “You’ve claimed me.”  


“You’re mine now,” he gasped, his speed increasing as he felt the tell-tale signs that told him his climax was closing in. “I wanted you for so long and I won’t let you go again.”  


“No,” Harry begged. “Don’t let me go, fuck me. Make me yours.”  


Draco angled his hips a little and thrust in, hitting Harry’s prostate. Each time he hit it, the other man cried out in pleasure. Draco wrapped his hand around his lover’s cock and started to stroke it in time with his thrusts, wanting to bring Harry over the edge.  


The saviour of the Wizarding world had no idea that anything could feel so good and when Draco started to stroke him while he fucked him Harry gave up trying to hold back. After only a few strokes he came with a hoarse shout, his hands gripping the blankets around him, his heels digging into Draco’s back. The Malfoy followed not a minute after, the heat and tightness of Harry’s orgasm triggering his own. He emptied himself inside the other man and fell forward, catching himself on his hands. Harry was covered in his own cum but he didn’t care, he unhooked his ankles and let his legs slide back down to the bed. The two lay, still connected and just continued to take deep breaths as they waited for the world around them to stop spinning.  


“Holy Hera,” Harry swore, still trying to catch his breath. “I didn’t think my first time would be that good.”  


“Well you were having sex with me,” Draco teased, letting himself slip out of Harry so he could lay beside him.  


“Cocky bastard,” Harry replied, summoning his wand and performing cleaning spells on both of them.  


“If I’m not mistaken,” Draco said, moving closer to his bedfellow. “You seemed to enjoy when I get cocky.”  


Harry smiled and let himself be pulled into the circle of the older man’s arms.  


“Bloody amazing Christmas present,” Draco told him, capturing his lips in another kiss.  


“I’m glad you liked it,” Harry chuckled.  


“I’d like to get that kind of present every day,” Draco said, suddenly unsure of himself.  


Harry lifted his head and looked at his boyfriend unsure of what he meant.  


Draco swallowed the lump that had arisen in his throat. “I was going to ask you tomorrow in front of everyone but now seems as good a time as any.”  


“You can ask me anything.”  


“I was wondering if you would like to move into the Manor, and live here with Aidan and I?” he asked, biting his lip a little bit.  


A smile spread across Harry’s face as he looked at the man next to him.  


“I would love to live here with you two,” he said.  


His heart beating fast, Draco hardly heard him. “We don’t even have to live in the Manor, we could live at Grimmauld Place or even in the townhouse I have in London.”  


Harry gripped the Slytherin by the chin and met his eyes. “We can live in a cardboard box for all I care. As long as I’m with you and Aidan I’ll be happy. You did tell Aidan, didn’t you?”  


He nodded. “He loves it when you’re here, so when I asked what he thought of you living with us he jumped at the idea.”  


“I just wanted to make sure he was on board with it,” Harry relaxed into him.  


“He loves you,” Draco kissed Harry’s forehead. “I love you too.”  


“This has been a very good Christmas eve,” Harry mused.  


“You might be sore tomorrow,” the blond warned.  


“Worth it.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The first thing Draco was aware of the next morning was a popping sound.  


“Master Draco,” he heard a house elf squeak. “All of the presents are out, and Master Aidan just woke up.”  


Draco rolled over and looked at the elf. “Thank you, Riff.”  


He stretched, got out of bed and dressed himself quickly.  


He kissed Harry on the cheek, “Happy Christmas love.”  


The black-haired man stirred, green eyes opening. “Happy Christmas.”  


“Aidan’s awake, I’m going to go get him and then we’ll meet you in the main parlor.”  


“Can you call Riff back again? I gave him my things when I came in last night.”  


Draco called the house elf and then retreated to his son’s room.  


“Happy Christmas Papa,” Aidan said happily running up to hug his father.  


The older Malfoy stooped down and picked up the young boy. “Happy Christmas my son.”  


Aidan hugged his father around the neck. For a moment or two Draco just looked at his child.  


“You have your mother’s smile,” he mused. “I love seeing you smile.”  


The little boy smiled even bigger at that. “Present time!”  


“What makes you think you got presents?” Draco asked, putting him down.  


Aidan ran out of his rooms, still in his pajamas and his father chased him toward the parlor. The room looked like a Christmas card, complete with roaring fire, towering Christmas tree and a sea of presents. There was a table full of snacks, Christmas cookies, and plenty of eggnog, butterbeer, and pumpkin juice. Harry was there and dressed, hugging Aidan who had seemingly jumped into his arms. At Harry’s feet was an almost empty bag, he put Aidan down as Draco came up to him with a questioning look.  


“Undetectable extension charm,” he winked. “I got a little carried away this year.”  


“So did I,” Draco admitted. “But in all fairness, these are presents for everyone, Blaise, Pansy, Ginny, the rest of the Weasley’s, Aunt Andromeda, Teddy, Hermione, and Neville.”  


“You didn’t have to do all that,” Harry smiled happily.  


“I wanted to,” Draco told him.  


“Papa, I want to open something,” Aidan cried.  


“Just stockings,” Draco told him. “Everything else has to wait until everyone is here.”  


The little blond took off toward the fireplace where a few stockings hung. There was one for Aidan, Pansy, Blaise, Ginny, Draco and much to Harry’s surprise one for him too. 

Almost as if on cue the fire glowed green and out came the Slytherins in question along with the youngest Weasley child, their arms loaded with presents.  


“Happy Christmas,” they all chorused, putting their presents down and handing their things to the house elf that popped up.  


“Stockings!” Aidan told them excitedly, pulling his godparents forward to the mantle.  


“This is a Malfoy tradition,” Ginny told Harry. “The first thing anyone gets on Christmas morning is their stocking. Draco has been doing this with Ren, Aidan, Blaise, and Pansy for years.”  


“And this year,” Draco smiled, putting an arm around both former Gryffindors, “We all decided we love you both so much that you should join us.”  


Ginny settled down onto Blaise’s lap and he handed her the giant red sock with her name on it.  


Harry smiled as he sat down on the floor next to Aidan and watched him start to pull things out of his own stocking.  


“I never would have thought you would do something so…Muggle,” Harry said to Draco, who was on the floor next to his son.  


“Well with both my parents gone I wanted to start new Christmas traditions and Ren’s family used to do this, so she was the one who really started it, I just liked it so much I decided to make it something we would do every year.”  


Draco watched with a smile on his face as the young Malfoy pulled out a little plush toy Wren.  


“Draco did you buy out my brother’s store?” Ginny asked as she saw all the Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes products that were in Aidan’s stocking.  


“Not quite,” he replied. “But they do make the best products.”  


“Always good for a laugh or something interesting to talk about,” Blaise agreed as he took a set of cufflinks.  


Ginny and Pansy both took small boxes out of their stockings.  


“Ren helped me pick those out before she went to St. Mungos,” Draco told them with a small smile.  


Pansy and Ginny both unwrapped the boxes and lifted out identical necklaces. They were three hearts all linked together, each heart was made out of the birthstone of one of the three women.  


“Ren was wearing hers when she was buried,” the Malfoy told his friends, their eyes both shining slightly.  


“It’s hard not having her here today,” Blaise said, sliding his arm around Ginny’s waist.  


“Harry,” Pansy spoke, wiping her eyes. “You haven’t opened your stocking yet.  


“No present I get today could be any greater than this,” he smiled. “You all know that the first half of my life wasn’t good in any way. A few of you made parts of the second half of my life hell.”  


His tone was light and joking as he looked at Pansy, Blaise and his own boyfriend.  


“But today I’ll be surrounded by people I love, and consider family,” he continued. “That is something priceless.”  


“Can I have your stocking then,” Aidan looked at him mischievously, having finished with his.  


Harry grabbed the young Malfoy, pulling him into his lap and starting to tickle him. “You greedy little monkey. You have dozens of presents under the tree and now you want mine too?”  


Draco watched happily as Harry and his son laughed together. He could hardly put into words how delighted he was that Aidan had come to love Harry so much and vice versa. After everything his son had been through in the last year, he deserved to have all the happiness in the world, and Harry wanted that for Aidan as well.  


“How about you help me unwrap my stocking?” Harry asked when he finally stopped his tickle attack on the young Malfoy.  


Aidan nodded and sat in Harry’s lap where he started pulling out some of the brightly wrapped packages in the stocking and handing them back to the dark-haired wizard. Harry unwrapped some of his favorite treats from Honeydukes and Sugarplum’s Sweet Shop, some new broom handle polish for his Firebolt, several tickets to professional Quidditch games, including a few to see Ginny play with the Holyhead Harpies. The last thing he pulled out was very nice pocket watch with the inscription 

_‘Your Heart Will Never Be Wasted If It Is Filled With Love, And My Heart Is Full Of Love Whenever I Look At You’_  


Harry looked up at his boyfriend and smiled. “You are turning soft on us Malfoy.”  


Before Draco had a chance to respond, a house elf popped up.  


“Master, Miss Granger, Mr.Longbottom and the Weasley’s are here,”  


“Show Mrs.Weasley to the kitchen and tell the rest of the family to join us up here.”  


The elf disappeared with a pop and the group all got to their feet ready to greet the newcomers with hugs and words of good cheer.  


“Ah so there’s where half of our inventory went,” Ron elbowed George when he saw the pile of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes products Aidan had been given.  


“Maybe we should get you to invest in the company,” his brother joked.  


“If you’re looking for someone I think we should sit down and talk about it,” Draco told them seriously.  


“You don’t have to feel obligated,” George shook his head. “You’re friends with our sister, you’re dating Harry who is, for all intents and purposes, a Weasley…”  


“I want to,” the blond told him. “Your business has a bright future. You are a brilliant product designer, you know your trade and your company is something that will always be in demand.”  


“Boys,” Mrs.Weasley interrupted, making her entrance. “No business today.”  


She walked over and hugged Harry first and then made her way over to hug Aidan, whom she treated as if he was her own grandchild. Then she finally made her way over to Draco.  


“Happy Christmas dear,” she told him squeezing him tightly. “Thank you so much for inviting us all to share the day with you.”  


“Thank you for coming, I know how important it is to Harry that his family is here,” he sighed. “It’s also nice for Aidan to feel like he’s a part of a big family.”  


Mrs. Weasley looked at the Malfoy knowingly. “I know this has been a hard year for you, losing Serena was a devastating blow, believe me, I understand.”  


Draco knew she was talking about Fred, and Draco knew that this time of year still had to be difficult for all of the Weasleys.  


“I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Serena, but just hearing about her from Ginny and Blaise made me glad that you and Aidan had her in your lives.”  


Mr. Weasley stepped up beside his wife and put a hand on the blond’s shoulder. “We know that you did not have a choice in the family you were born into Draco, but now you’re able to form a family of your own, and Molly and I wanted you to know that we will always consider you and Aidan part of our family.”  


Draco felt emotion wash over him at their words and acceptance. In spite of everything that he had done, all the mistakes he had made, they were willing to welcome him and his son into their family. The Weasley family had been everything that he hadn’t known growing up. His parents had looked down on the Weasleys because they didn’t have the money and power that should have come with being Purebloods, but they had the kind of warmth and love that the Malfoy family hadn’t known for generations. Draco had been brought up to believe that he should want exactly what his parents had and anyone who didn’t want that was beneath him, but he had known for a long time that when it came to real wealth, the Malfoy’s were poor.  


“Thank you,” he murmured, his throat a little tight. “I’m honored to be a part of your family, that’s something I haven’t really had. Even when my parents were still around we didn’t feel particularly close or warm. I may not have had a conventional relationship with Ren but we were a family, and we both loved Aidan so much.”  


“Anyone with eyes can see that,” Mrs.Weasley assured him.  


“One day Draco,” Mr.Weasley spoke. “No one will remember your father. All they will remember is what a nice young man you turned out to be.”  


Draco smiled at both of them.  


“Oh dear, I better get cooking if we want to have dinner ready on time,” Mrs.Weasley said, springing into action. “Arthur, come help me.”  


The Malfoy smiled as he watched them walk away, his eyes drifting across the room full of people. The fire turned green and out strode his aunt with Teddy in her arms.  


“Merry Christmas everyone,” she chorused, putting Teddy on his feet.  


Draco caught the young boy up in a hug before moving to kiss his aunt on the cheek.  


“It is a gift to have you in my life,” she told him before moving into the room to greet the rest of the assembly.  


Teddy and Aidan had begun to play together, both of them eager to try the WWW products as Ron and George told them what each of them would do.  


Andromeda sat down next to Harry who was watching the two boys with rapt attention.  


“It’s amazing how easily it comes isn’t it,” she mused.  


“How what comes?”  


“Being a parent,” she told him.  


“But I’m not,” he shook his head.  


She put her hand on his shoulder. “You’ve been like a parent to Teddy, and now you are doing the same thing with Aidan. Being a parent isn’t about who has been there since the beginning, or even about blood, as you well know from the surrogate parents you’ve acquired over the years. A parent is someone who loves, supports and cares for a child, and you have done that for both of those boys.”  


Harry sighed. “I just know that I never want a child to feel as alone as Draco or I did growing up.”  


The former Black sister looked at him for a few moments before she finally spoke again. “I don’t think I realized just how similar you and Draco are until now.”  


“You aren’t the only one my dear Aunt,” the blond in question remarked, coming over and sitting down next to Harry. “I think that’s another reason we spent so long at each other’s throats. We were too alike.”  


Just as Harry agreed Teddy and Aidan came rushing over.  


“Is it present time yet?” the young Malfoy asked.  


Draco smiled and shook his head. “Alright, let’s open presents. Go down to the kitchen and tell Molly and Arthur and then we can start.”  


As the two excited boys ran toward the kitchen, the rest of the assembly made their way around the Christmas tree, getting settled with their significant others and children. Bill and Fleur, who was pregnant with their second child, laughed as Victoire climbed all over her uncle Charlie, who was still single. Percy and his fiancée Audrey were talking happily with Andromeda, Ron, and Pansy near the fireplace. Hermione and Ginny were catching up on each other’s lives while Neville and Blaise discussed Quidditch with George, Angelina, and Harry. Draco looked around the room with a warm smile on his face, he’d never had Christmases like this when he was growing up. It was just him and his parents, so Christmas morning was usually just him unwrapping present after present. Now he found that he was more excited to see what everyone else would think of the presents he had gotten them.  


“My brother had you all figured out you know,” a voice addressed Draco.  


The Malfoy turned to see George Weasley standing next to him, a butterbeer in each hand.  


“How so?” Draco finally asked as he accepted the bottle the redhead offered to him.  


“Back at Hogwarts, Fred always suspected that you had some sort of crush on Harry. He thought that you teased and tortured him to distract everyone from your true feelings.”  


The blond smiled again. “He did?”  


George nodded, a sad smile on his face. “We even made a bet on it in our sixth year. I suppose I owe Fred five Galleons.”  


Draco laughed and threw his arm around the redhead’s shoulders, leading him back to where their partners were talking. Just as they sat down, Teddy and Aidan came rushing back into the room dragging Molly and Arthur with them.  


“I have a present for you two that I think you should open first,” Draco said as the elder couple sat down.  


He waved his wand and one of the presents floated from under the tree into Molly’s lap.  


“I thought this would be the perfect present for the two of you and the ever-growing Weasley clan,” Draco smiled wrapping an arm around Harry as he watched.  


Molly finished unwrapping and opening the box to find a very expensive looking camera inside.  


“It’s Muggle and magic combined,” Draco started to tell them. “It’s brand new, developed by a Muggleborn wizard. I know how much you like Muggle gadgets Mr.Weasley, so I thought this would be something you could enjoy as well as take pictures with.”  


“This is brilliant,” Arthur said happily, turning the camera over in his hands.  


“It’s perfect, we’re always wanting to take pictures of the family,” Molly smiled at him. “Thank you so much, Draco dear.”  


“Why don’t we take a picture of the whole family now?” Arthur suggested, looking quickly through the manual that came with the camera. “There is a timer charm on the camera so everyone can be in it.”  


“What a good idea Arthur,” his wife kissed him on the cheek. “Everyone get ready.”  


As the group readjusted their positions Arthur took his wand and tapped the camera twice. It floated into the air and hovered in front of the group. Harry pulled Draco and Aidan close right before the camera went off.  


“Now I want to give Harry and Draco our gift,” Ginny said as the group moved back to their previous positions.  


She went to the tree pulled out an envelope and handed it to the two men. Harry sat down on the edge of the chair where Draco and his son were sitting and opened the envelope so that the blond could see it as well.  


“Dear Harry and Draco,” the dark-haired man started to read aloud. “We wanted to get you two something special, we also wanted to give you both a chance to get away from everything and just be together. It hasn’t been an easy road for either of you and while we are sure that you two will make it, a little vacation can’t hurt. So, two of your dearest friends decided to plan a trip for you both. Your portkey to Greece leaves New Years Day and we’ve already arranged your time off work. You’ll have two weeks of sun and fun before you have to come home. We also don’t want either of you to worry about Aidan so he will be staying with us. Both of you just enjoy your trip together, you deserve it. Love Ginny and Blaise.”  


“Wow,” Draco smiled at his best friend. “Usually you just get me some of my favorite cologne, this is a step-up Blaise.”  


“It was Ginny’s idea,” he confessed. “But once she said she wanted to send you two on vacation and I suggested that we take care of Aidan.”  


“This is really great you two,” Draco smiled, putting an arm around Harry.  


“I’ve never been to Greece before,” Harry told his boyfriend.  


“Why can’t I go?” Aidan asked, looking a little hurt.  


Blaise pulled his godson into his lap. “Because buddy, your Aunt Ginny and I are so jealous of all the time that your dad and Harry get to spend with you.”  


“Yeah,” Ginny piped up. “You get to spend every day with them, don’t you want to spend a little time with us?”  


He looked over at the redhead and pouted a little. “Really?”  


“Of course. We love spending time with you, Aidan.”  


“But I’ve never been to Greece either,” the young Malfoy frowned turning back to Harry.  


The older wizard hesitated for a few moments, looking into the young boy’s bluish-grey eyes. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to resist the young boy, he was turning into a pushover for Draco’s son.  


“Well maybe if you’re good for your Uncle Blaise and Aunt Ginny, they can bring you out to Greece to spend a few days with us.”  


Aidan launched himself into Harry’s arms and hugged him tightly.  


“Softy,” Draco smiled at the pair as Mr.Weasley snapped more pictures. “Now everyone, start opening presents.”  


Soon the air was filled with the ripping of paper, happy exclamations and thank yous as everyone unwrapped their gifts. The camera was passed around so that everyone could capture as many different memories as possible. A few hours later after all the presents were gone, everyone sat down to a homecooked meal that Mrs.Weasley had conjured up. Toward the end of the meal Blaise stood and raised his glass.  


“I would like to propose a toast. If someone had told me a few years ago, that this would be my future I would have laughed. I was so numb after the war, I had lost everything. I had lost my family and everything that I had been raised to want. Now sitting here with all of you I don’t know how any of that ever mattered to me, I don’t know how I could have ever been happy following someone else’s orders and I know that family isn't always about blood. So, everyone raise your glasses…to family in all its shapes and forms.”  


“To family,” everyone chorused before taking a drink.  


“I also know exactly what I want out of my life,” Blaise smiled, taking Ginny by the hand and pulling her up beside him.  


“And what exactly is that Mr.Zabini?” she wondered looking at him with a questioning glance.  


Without another word the former Slytherin sunk to one knee and waved his wand. A small box appeared hovering in the air in front of Ginny.  


“I want to spend every day knowing that I get to love you,”  


The box popped open to reveal a beautiful and rather large diamond ring. Everyone in the room held very still waiting and watching.  


“Ginevra Weasley, will you marry me?”  


The redhead gasped, tears springing to her eyes. “Of course, I will Blaise.”  


Cheers erupted throughout the room as everyone rushed forward to congratulate the couple with hugs and kisses. Draco, seizing his opportunity grabbed his boyfriend by the waist and pulled him close to the Christmas tree away from everyone else.  


“Don’t you want to congratulate them?” Harry wondered.  


“We will,” Draco assured him. “I figured we could wait for the red sea to part a little. “I’m just hoping that one day we get to do what Blaise and Ginny are doing?”  


“Get engaged? Get married?”  


“Why not?” the blond wondered.  


“I don’t even know if I can survive a holiday with you in Greece yet,” Harry teased, pressing a small kiss to the corner of Draco’s mouth. “Besides what makes you think I would want to marry you Malfoy?”  


“I have three reasons,” Draco replied. “Number one, you already adore my son, and no one would go to that much trouble if they didn’t plan on sticking around.”  


“Fair point, go on.”  


“Reason two,” the former Slytherin continued, a cocky grin on his face. “After the fun, we had last night, I think you’ll be coming back for more. Especially because there are a few Christmas presents I bought for us that were not appropriate to open in polite company.”  


The Boy-Who-Lived blushed and licked his lips, trying not to picture anything too arousing. “You still have one more reason.”  


Draco Malfoy wrapped his arms tightly around Harry Potter’s waist, bringing their mouths close before whispering. “If we can get through an ancient family curse, years of insults and hexes and still come out holding hands after all this time….I don’t think there is anything that could break us apart.”  


Harry shook his head and smiled. “You really have gone soft Malfoy.”  


“Shut up and kiss me Potter.”  


As Harry obliged his boyfriend he couldn’t help thinking that he was right. They may have been up against impossible things, but nothing seemed that way with someone to love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left, and yes I know I am so corny. I am aware of it, but I love fluff and romance and all those sweet kinds of things. Next chapter wraps everything up, I hope you’ll stick with me for one more.

**Author's Note:**

> So here is my first foray into Drarry. I'm really excited to tell this story because this plot has not stopped playing in my head. So keep following to see what happens next and if you liked it please let me know. Much love to all.


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